Everything Hits at Once
by annieoakley1
Summary: More than fifteen years after Lilly Kane's murder, Veronica has to solve the most important case of her life. L/V, ensemble
1. Prologue

Prologue

"Veronica?"

She closed her eyes, willing away her tears. Now was not the time to cry. She could cry later.

"Veronica, please. I know this is hard-"

"Yes," her voice creaked, betraying her. She wasn't fooled by them. _You can talk to us. We're the good guys. We're here to help you. _Hell, she had been one of them.

_We know what you're going through. We understand._

They had no idea.

She knew they were studying her, searching her face for any tells, examining her body language. She had learned all the tricks. But not at the academy. By then it was old hat. No, her father taught her everything she knew.

She felt the burn of bile rise in the back of her throat. Her father.

_"Veronica-"_

_"Don't. Just…don't."_

_"You have to understand-"_

_"I **hate** you for this."_

The act got to be too much for her and she felt her will slipping. It took all of her strength to not scream, cry, sob. She wanted to throw something, hit something, hurt something. She leaned forward in her chair, resting her elbows on her knees as she covered her face with her hands. _You can do this. You have to. He needs you._

"Veronica, if you could just go over everything that happened this morning, do your best to give us a timeline, be as specific as possible, it _will _help Keith."

"I already-"

"I know, I know. I'm sorry. You know how it works though. We need you to talk to us now."

She took a deep, fortifying breath. She could do this. She had to. He needed her.

"I woke up around 6:30, to make breakfast."

_"Good morning, starshine!"_

She paused, her head still down, and moved her hands to the back of her neck.

"Were you the only one up?"

"No."

_"What'll it be? Anything you want today."_

_"Cake?"_

_"Except cake."_

"He was so excited," she continued, smiling wistfully. "I'm not even sure if he actually slept."

"And Logan? Was he awake?"

She nodded. "He always got up with him. It was like an internal alarm clock." Past tense? She froze, horrified by her words. "He always gets up with him," she added quickly.

_"If you get started on breakfast, I'll take care of his lunch."_

_"No cake for lunch either!"_

_"You're such a killjoy."_

"Logan was excited, too. For him. It's like, whatever mood he's in, it's contagious, you know?"

Edwards's returning smile was tight. She remembered Logan's smile earlier. They came so easy now.

Present tense?

But that was all before the panic, the blood, the handcuffs.

The sob wretched from her body before she was even aware of her tears. Edwards caught her hands, curled into hard fists, and pulled her arms to his chest. "Hey now, I know. You don't have to try so hard to be strong right now. It won't hurt him if you cry. It doesn't mean he's not going to come back."

She was so tired. Physically. Mentally. But she couldn't be. Not now. Not when everything was on the line.

She pulled back from Edwards, one of the kinder FBI agents she had ever encountered, and nodded. She could do this. She had to. He needed her.

"We'll find your son, Veronica."

She looked up at him, meeting his black eyes for the first time. "_I'll _find him," she said, and the fire was back, burning within her. "I'll find him. And I'll find the person who really did this. I'll find them, and I'll make them pay."


	2. Chapter 1

_Early January, 2015_

Two lines. _Two_. Deep breath. Breathe out slowly. It's only 98% accurate.

_So is the Pill._

Fuck.

Veronica throws the pregnancy test into her bathroom trashcan. She'll take another one tomorrow.

----------

A plus sign. _Plus_.

Okay then.

----------

Now this is a good test. The pharmacist recommended this one. She shouldn't have even bothered with the store brand ones before.

She has to wait three minutes for the results, so she sits on the edge of the bathtub and hums "Yellow Submarine" in its entirety.

Before she looks, she promises herself that this will be the last test, results be damned. She'll deal with it this time.

**Pregnant**. It's right there in print.

Tears well in her eyes as she tries to control her breathing. She looks around her tiny bathroom, concentrating on the black and white patterns on the tile or the dark swirls in the marble sink and countertop. For the very first time, she wishes she didn't live alone. She wants someone to talk to and confide in, someone who can give her advice or hold her and tell her everything will be all right.

Veronica marches into her bedroom and goes straight to her laptop. She needs to book a flight to Omaha.

----------

"May I help you," the secretary asks, sans smile. She's new, Veronica notes, wondering what happened to Rhonda.

"Yes, Veronica Mars for Agent Rosen." She flashes her badge.

"Go ahead."

Veronica smoothes down her skirt and forces her best fake smile before entering the office with purpose.

"Veronica!"

"Hey, Carla," Veronica offers weakly, her resolve fading. "Surprise."

The woman quickly moves from her desk to greet her, offering a professional handshake over a friendly hug.

"What in the world are you doing here? I thought you'd never set foot in Nebraska again. Your words, remember?"

"Yeah, I just needed someone to talk to, about something important. I was hoping you'd have some time for me?"

"You came all the way here to talk to me?"

"Well, I'm flying to California tonight, so you were on my way." Carla eyes her skeptically and Veronica feels as nervous under her scrutiny as she did the first day they met.

"What did you want to talk about? I have a team meeting in an hour, but I'm all yours for now. Come on, have a seat," she tells her, motioning to the office chairs. Veronica relaxes visibly before settling in across from her former mentor.

"I'm thinking about leaving the Bureau." She thinks it's best to be blunt.

"Leaving the Bureau?" Carla parrots, disbelief painting her face. "You want to quit?"

"I'm just, I'm not happy. I haven't been for awhile now and-"

"Veronica," Carla interrupts, her voice stern. "You know I like you. And I don't like very many people. I think you're smart and capable. You're good at what you do-"

"I know, but I-"

Carla raises her hand, cutting Veronica off mid-sentence. "We've bent a hell of a lot of rules for you."

"I know. I do. And I appreciate it, really. This has been a great opportunity."

"The FBI isn't an opportunity, Veronica. It's not something you jot down on your résumé or use as a stepping stone to something else. This is the end-game. This is what you worked for."

"I just don't think it's for me," Veronica returns, her voice breaking ever so slightly.

Carla sighs in frustration. "What, is it New York? The busiest field agency in the country bores you too?" Veronica shakes her head solemnly, unable to look Carla in the eye.

"I'm pregnant."

As scared as she is, she has to derive some pleasure from the older woman's expression. Shock never looked so good.

"I…I didn't even know you were dating anyone," she says.

Veronica shrugs. "We don't really call it dating."

"Spare the gory details."

"Consider yourself spared."

"You don't have to quit just because you're pregnant, Veronica," Carla says, getting back to the matter at hand. "There's maternity leave, and then you can go part-time. I don't want you to throw away your career over this. It's not 1955."

"I'm not _happy_!" Veronica speaks, a bit louder than she intended. "I kept thinking, 'Okay, I just don't like the Academy. It'll be better when I'm done training.' And then it was, 'It's just Omaha. It'll be better when I'm in New York.' But it's not, Carla. It's _me_. I'm not cut out for this."

"How can you even say that? After all you've done?"

"It's not that I don't think I can do it anymore. It's that I don't _want_ to do it anymore. Look, I admire you so much. Five years ago, I wanted to _be_ you. But nothing was like I thought it would be."

"You knew what you were getting into. I warned you."

"I didn't listen," Veronica bites back, the edge in her voice startling the other woman. "And it's not just because I'm pregnant, okay? This was far from planned, but I was going to meet with Sturges about everything before I found out. I wanted to get back into private investigation."

"Are you sure this is what you want?" she asks, her voice softer now.

"I was, before all this. I'm not sure of anything right now."

"Oh, Veronica, what am I going to do with you?" Veronica has to smile. In recent years, Carla has been the closest thing Veronica has to a mother. _Mother_. Veronica's smile falters under the very thought of that word.

-----------

Logan pads across the room in bare feet, still rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "HOLD ON!" he yells to the impatient person continuously ringing the doorbell.

He unlocks the large mahogany door and throws it open, ready and willing to yell at whoever had the nerve to drop by so early in the morning.

"Echolls."

He sighs. "Mackenzie. You rang?"

Mac is leaning against the door frame, smiling brightly. "You're looking quite handsome this morning."

"Why are you acting weird?" Logan asks, his face scrunched.

Mac straightens, clearly affronted. "I was _flirting_."

"Ew. Why?"

She rolls her eyes, pushing past him to enter his house. "Have you ever been at your computer, maybe checking your email, instant messaging, surfing for porn…whatever. And then, suddenly, poof!" she motions dramatically with her hands, "There it goes. Windows Tesla strikes again?"

"I have an iBook."

"You're a good man, Logan. But not everyone is."

"How much do you want?"

"You don't even want to know what it's for?"

"Does it matter?"

"Ten thousand. You will, of course, be paid back in full. Plus interest."

"I'll write you a check," he says, leading her into the den. Once in the large room, Mac fiddles with an electronic pencil sharpener as Logan searches the messy desktop for his checkbook. He is just about to sign his name when the phone rings.

"Yeah," he answers, cradling the receiver in the crook of his neck as he tears the check along the perforated edge.

"Hey, it's me."

"It's Veronica," he mouths to Mac. "Hey. Mac's here, begging again," he speaks into the phone. "Hold on and I'll put you on speaker." Veronica is about to protest but Logan doesn't give her the chance.

"Veronica!" Mac calls out excitedly. "How's tricks? Did you find Osama yet?"

"Uh, not yet. What's up?"

"Not much. Logan thinks I'm putting this money into the Hertz prototype, but I'm going on a bender in Vegas."

"Maybe I'll join you. Hey, I need to talk to Logan now, but I'll call you later, okay?"

Mac shares a strange look with Logan but quickly answers back with a, "Yeah, sure. Bye!"

"What's going on?" Logan asks after taking Veronica off speakerphone.

"Are you going to be around for the next few days? I need to see you."

"Miss me already?" he teases.

"It's important, Logan," she replies, her tone leaving no room for jokes.

"Yeah, okay. You want me to book a flight?"

"I'm coming there. I have to meet with someone first, but my plane gets in tonight at eight. Can you pick me up at the airport?"

"Sure. Are you staying with your dad or here?"

"Um, depends, I guess. I gotta go. I'll see you tonight though, okay?" She doesn't wait for a reply before hanging up.

"Everything all right?" Mac asks him hopefully after he gets off the phone.

Logan feigns disinterest, shrugging off her question, but he can't ignore the feeling that something is very wrong.

-----------

"I'm pregnant. Pregnant. I'm...Hey, guess what? Oh god."

She tries to picture his reaction. In scenario number one, he throws up immediately. That's what she did anyway, after the crying. In scenario number two, he storms off, leaving her deserted at the airport. But she doesn't really think he'd do that. In scenario number three, he jumps up and down in genuine happiness. She isn't counting on that one either.

"I'm pregnant. I'm _pregnant._ _I'm_ pregnant."

"Mazel tov!" the elderly man in the next seat congratulates her. She offers him a weak smile before continuing practice.

When she gets off the plane, she repeats the words again and again, speaking them to the flight attendant, a teenage boy standing next to her by the luggage carousel, security. As she exits the airport, she spots Logan parked along the curb, nervously tapping the steering wheel of his BMW. He sees her and scrambles out of his car, rushing to make his way to her to grab her luggage. She doesn't stop walking, just drops her bags along the way, calls out "I'm pregnant," and hops in the passenger seat.

----------

The drive back to Neptune is mostly a quiet one. Logan's mouth is hanging open a little more than usual, and he doesn't take his eyes off the road until after they cross the Balboa County line.

"So how far along…when did this happen? I mean, _how_ did this happen?"

"I don't know," she answers truthfully. "But the Pill's not completely effective. I took the test after I was a week late. I didn't go to a doctor yet."

"Are you sure? If you didn't go to a doctor-"

"I'm sure," she bites, her jaw taut. She'd done the denial thing, true, but she doesn't have the patience to deal with Logan's journey through the five stages of grief. "I took three tests. They were all positive."

"Jesus, Veronica. What are we going to do?" He runs a hand through his hair before bringing it back to tightly grip the steering wheel. "What do you want to do?"

She turns to look at him, even though eye contact isn't possible if they want to avoid a car accident, but doesn't offer any words.

"I mean, whatever you want to do, Veronica, I'll support your decision. I'm here, okay?"

She rolls her eyes, which are already brimming with tears. "I appreciate your knack for saying the right thing, but I really don't need that right now. Can you just tell me what you're thinking? I…Do you hate me?" she asks, her voice cracking.

Logan looks at her in shock before pulling the car off onto the shoulder of the road. He shifts into park and turns to face her, reaching to touch her arm. "Hey, I could never hate you. I thought you would hate me. Blame me for ruining your career or something."

She laughs in spite of herself. "Trust me, that's the last thing on my mind," she tells him, wiping her face. "We've got a lot to talk about, but long story short? I'm out." She knows he's about to protest, so she cuts him off at the pass. "It's not because of the baby. I was planning this before I found out."

He nods, his thumb rubbing gentle circles against her arm. "Let's go to my house, okay? We'll talk there."

"Okay," she replies, moving away from him. He stops her with one hand on her wrist, and gently caresses the side of her face, running his fingertips down along her jaw line. "Can I make a confession?" he whispers. She nods and he leans forward to rest his forehead against hers. "I…I don't think this is the worst thing you could have told me."

She smiles softly, taking his hand in hers. "If it's a girl, I'm naming it Sheba."

He pulls away from her suddenly. "I was wrong. I _can_ hate you." He smiles at her as he drives back onto the road. She knows he's trying to make her feel better, but that he's terrified, probably even more scared than her, because he associates the word 'father' with things far more awful than her associations with the word 'mother.' She isn't sure if she should take comfort in knowing that she isn't alone in worries regarding apples falling from trees, or if she should be sad for this child, not even the size of a quarter yet but already well fucked over.

-----------

_Veronica braces herself after knocking on the door to his suite. She hasn't quite figured out what she wants to say to him, or why she is even there, but it is where she finds herself nonetheless._

_He seems a little surprised to see her, but he opens the door wide and motions her inside. He closes the door after her and walks off to his bathroom, returning soon with a towel._

_"Thanks," Veronica tells him, taking it and using it wring the rainwater out from her hair as he takes a seat on the large leather couch._

_"I read about your dad."_

_"Yeah. That's…because of me."_

_"I figured."_

_She sighs. "I just wanted to let you know that I'm going to take care of all of this with Gory. He won't touch you."_

_"Don't bother Veronica. The last thing you need to be doing right now is blackmailing a crime family. Besides, I'm a big boy. I can take care of myself."_

_"I owe you at least that much."_

_"You don't owe me anything."_

_She hands him the towel. "Sure I do. It's not every day someone defends my honor."_

_He pins her with a look, his eyebrows raised. "It wasn't exactly the first time."_

_"Will it be the last?" she asks suddenly, her voice a bit desperate._

_"What do you want, Veronica?" He seems calm and collected, his question frighteningly straightforward._

_She thinks she has to be insane, to be here like this. Logan had warned her about her stubbornness, about the risks she took. He had said so himself, only moments earlier, that he knew that she was the cause of her father's troubles. So why does she feel like he is the only one in the world who can possibly understand her? When she doesn't even understand herself? Does she expect his sympathy?_

_Maybe she is hoping that he will yell at her, say 'I told you so,' and kick her out of his room. Or maybe she wants him to hold her again and tell her that he's sorry. Not necessarily for anything that he did, but for the way the universe operates._

_"I don't know," she answers honestly._

_He moves around the coffee table to sit in front of her, their knees almost touching. "Look, this'll blow over too, you know? It's not like he'll go to jail or anything."_

_"It cost him the election," she tells him, and he nods in understanding at the resignation in her voice._

_"Do you think he regrets it, though? Protecting you?"_

_She looks up to meet his eyes and is taken aback by the gentleness she finds there. When his question goes unanswered, he continues. "C'mon, you know he doesn't. You know he'd do it all again if he had to."_

_If he had to._

_"It's not all your fault, Veronica. He probably wishes you didn't do whatever it is you did, but then you wouldn't exactly be you if you didn't."_

_She wants to take comfort from his words, but she knows he doesn't know the whole story. She hadn't exactly been as careful as she could have been. She probably got a little too cocky, too set in her ways. And it all could have been avoided if she was honest with her father in the first place, maybe sought his help and worked with him instead of trying to do it herself._

_Oh, who is she kidding?_

_Logan seems to be lost in his own thoughts too, and he laughs softly, shaking his head. "It's funny how the things you love most about someone can be the same things that drive you crazy."_

_"Yeah," she agrees, looking up to watch his face. Their eyes meet and his face falls. She's shocked by how sad he looks, and suddenly she feels defeated, like this is status quo and nothing will ever get better._

_"Your dad loves you, Veronica. And you love him. Everything will be okay." With that, he stands up and goes to his room. Veronica sits for a second, thinking about his words, before she follows him._

_"Logan-" she stops when she sees him packing a suitcase, and suddenly she's panicking. "What are you doing?" she asks, incredulous._

_He looks at her from over his shoulder, but keeps stuffing shirts into his bag. "Dick's dad bailed again. Shocking, I know. We're going to South America for the summer."_

_She nods, relieved. It's probably best for him to be away from Neptune for awhile. He'll be safer that way, and it will give her some more time to figure out just exactly what she is going to do about Gorya Sorokin._

_"I, uh, heard about your internship," he tells her as he rolls up one of his polo shirts and shoves it into the suitcase. "Congratulations. I mean it."_

_She smiles. "Thanks."_

_"When do you leave?"_

_"Three weeks. How about you?"_

_"Three days," he replies, smiling. "I've got one more final."_

_"Yeah, how are those going?" she asks, taking a seat at the foot of his bed to watch him as he continues packing._

_"Not too bad. It looks like I'll be a sophomore next year." He grins and she can't help but return his smile._

_She wants to tell him that she's proud of him, that she knew he could do it, but she thinks he would take it the wrong way. She stays quiet and begins to help him fold some of his clothes. He takes a shirt from her, which she had just neatly folded, and rolls it up. "Here's a packing tip: Rolling up your clothes saves room in the suitcase."_

_"Mm, I don't know about that."_

_"They're less likely to wrinkle, too. You'll thank me when you're in Virginia," he tells her, zipping up the bag._

_She pauses, watching him, before blurting out, "I'm sorry, Logan."_

_He looks at her in surprise, but she continues. "I'm sorry about earlier, for saying you were out of my life for good. I don't want that."_

_"Good to know," he replies, distant. He fiddles some more with his bag before placing it near the nightstand._

_She looks down, tracing the seam of his bedspread with her fingertip. God, she wants him. She wants to kiss him, wants to pull him down on the bed with her, wants for him to make her forget about everything if only for a little while. She thinks about all of the time they spent together in this bed. Why couldn't things be easy? Just for once?_

_"I love you, Veronica."_

_His words shake her from her thoughts, and suddenly her heart's beating rapidly against her chest. She looks up at him in shock, secretly thrilled by his declaration, but his expression confuses her. He looks sad._

_"I realized earlier that I'm never going to stop loving you. No matter what, even if you don't feel the same way. And you know, I'm okay with that. I mean, it still hurts. And it's harder when you're here. But it was kind of a relief, too."_

_She's flashing back to their second kiss, when he told her that he didn't have to feel guilty anymore about moving on. That was the first time since Lilly's death that Veronica felt really, truly happy. It wasn't anything like how she felt with Troy or Leo, and she didn't understand why, but she let herself enjoy it. Later, when she was alone, she thought about all of the reasons why it was wrong and about all of the ways it could blow up in her face. But in that moment, when his lips were against hers and they both admitted that they didn't have any idea what they were doing, she was happy._

_She remembers that night, the timber of his voice, the shrug of his shoulders, the shy way he looked at her. He was letting go of Lilly then, and suddenly Veronica's terrified that he's letting go of her now._

_Her throat constricts painfully. She can't take him giving up on her. Throughout their relationship, all she ever really wanted of Logan was for him to stay. Whenever she felt like she had that, she'd ask for more: Don't get hurt, don't hurt others, like what I like, want what I want. She knew her demands varied from perfectly reasonable to utterly unfair, but it was how she felt._

_She's so confused. It doesn't help her muddled feelings any that she is still angry with him, too. She is still angry about Madison. She is angry about Parker. If she wants to be completely honest, she is still angry about Hannah. Kendall. Lilly. She is angry with him because she was always waiting for the other shoe. And even though she was always scared by how much he seemed to love her, she was and is even more scared that one day he will love another girl more, or that maybe he already did._

_She still doesn't understand how, after everything they'd been through, he could say the things he said and be able to mean them. He threw around words like 'epic' and went slow when they made love. He talked about their future and held her against him when they slept. Logan has always been the single most astute person she has ever known. She still doesn't understand how he hasn't realized that they're both broken. Maybe they could each pretend with others, but why try to fool themselves when they were together?_

_Sometimes he could be so convincing, she'd fall for it too. And that never ended well. She really thought Madison was the last straw, but it was still like a sucker punch to the gut when she saw him with Parker. When she got tired of the pain at seeing them together, she tried to tell herself that she was happy that he was happy, and that she could move on too. And she did try…_

_Why is she even here now?_

_She thinks about her father again. She already knows that later, she'll go home and tell him that she's sorry, and he'll hug her. And they won't talk about it anymore. She won't offer any information or an explanation, and he won't pry. Her dad has had it rough, and he's certainly received more than his fair share of kicks when he was down, but he still has no idea how bad it actually is, and if Veronica has her way, he never will._

_Logan knows more of her secrets than anyone else. She doesn't feel like she has to protect him from the cold harsh world because he knows about it firsthand. She really did want to be able to be completely honest about everything with him, to be able to be with him, warts and all. When they got back together after winter break, she let herself believe that they could really make it work, that they could get to a place where they might be somewhat functional. She had missed him so much while they were apart, and she felt lighter and happier as soon as they were together again. She should have known it wouldn't last long._

_"Veronica?"_

_"Huh?" she asks absently, raising her eyes to his._

_Logan's kneeling on the bed now, directly in front of her, studying her face. A piece of her hair had escaped her damp ponytail, and he pushes it behind her ear. She's so confused, but she leans into his touch. She thinks that if he tries to give her a goodbye line, she'll kiss him to shut him up._

_"You're it for me," he tells her, his dark eyes intense. "We're connected. And I really think that one day we'll work this out."_

_Her mouth falls open in surprise. He's not giving up on them. She thinks this might have been exactly what she wanted to hear._

_"I wish you felt the same way now, but I think I'm going to be okay," he tells her, and he smiles softly._

_She moves closer to him, cupping his face in her hand. "I know I don't say it, and sometimes I don't even show it, but that doesn't mean I don't feel it." That's the best she can do right now. She thinks he might understand, and she promises herself that she'll try to do better from now on._

_They kiss, and it starts out slow and gentle but soon turns frenzied and passionate. She knows they should probably talk some more, maybe have a screaming match over all of the things that they're both still upset about. At the very least, she should tell him that she and Piz ended things. But she tells herself, 'Later' and grips him tighter as he lowers her to the bed. _

-----------

It hasn't even been two weeks since she was last in Neptune, when she had flown out to spend Christmas with her father and stay with Logan until New Year's. She knew then that she was late, but she chalked it up to stress over the holidays and work. She didn't dare mention it to Logan, who was enjoying all of their time together and kept her in his bed for most of her stay. Sex is a bigger part of their relationship now more than ever. They talk enough on the phone; when they actually get to see each other, it's all about the physical.

She knows that if it was up to Logan, they would spend more time together. He works for himself, investing money in anything he feels is worth the risk, backing restaurants, websites, real-estate developments. He makes his own hours, travels a lot, and so he usually comes to her. During his last visit, about two weeks before Christmas, he casually mentioned that he was thinking about getting an apartment in Manhattan. She tried to backpedal, not because she didn't want him around all the time, but because she wasn't even sure if she wanted to stay in New York herself.

Their relationship was at its best before she found out she was pregnant. It was between them, and they didn't rush to define anything. He knew that Veronica was focusing all of her energy on her career, and so he worked harder on his. Veronica knew that she could count on him for anything, and so she made a concentrated effort to be there for him. They had broken up and reunited more times than they remembered, but they'd been going strong for two years. Now, one of Veronica's biggest fears is that this will be their undoing; that something that should bring couples closer together will end up ripping them apart.

She has to admit that he's taking it better than she thought he would. At first she thinks it's an act for her benefit, but after she tells him that she doesn't want an abortion, he seems genuinely relieved. They talk for hours, and she finally confesses her long-held feelings of discontent over work and her plans to go back into the P.I business. He asks her to move in with him, at least for the pregnancy, and tells her that he wants to make this work.

She insists on going to the doctor's alone, but only for her first appointment. When the blood test comes back positive, she thinks she's almost happy. At least now she has some semblance of a plan; as scared as she is, she doesn't feel lost.

The baby is due in late August, not too long after her own birthday, so she'll be twenty-eight when she becomes a mother. After severing her ties with the FBI, and leaving behind New York, Veronica is eager to get back to work. Mars Investigations has been out of business for almost a year now, but the office is still available for rent. Logan wants to buy the building for her, saying that he knows a good investment when he sees one, but she wants to do this on her own.

She's two months along and she knows she'll have to tell her father soon. Keith is Sheriff again, if only because nobody else seems to want the job. He seems happy with his life, which now includes a very nice woman named Naomi, who Veronica dislikes only just a little. He's utterly perplexed by Veronica's decisions, however. She knows he's disappointed when she quits the FBI. She knows he's downright pissed off when she moves back to California and into Logan's house. She can only imagine his reaction when she tells him she's pregnant.

It doesn't help that Logan and her father still do not get along. They can remain civil when forced together, but the tension is never less than palpable. Keith resents Logan for always popping up in Veronica life, and Logan is bitter over Keith's blatant disapproval. He stopped trying to impress him a long time ago.

No matter, he wants to be with her when she tells her dad. They're parked outside of the apartment complex now, the same building where she lived with him after her mother left. Veronica has been trying to prepare him, telling him over the phone that she has news and they need to talk, and that she's bringing Logan. She hopes he's expecting the worst, and that he doesn't have a heart attack when he gets it.

He greets her with a hug and Logan by name. Naomi's not there, and Veronica kind of wishes she was. There might be less yelling if they had to keep up appearances in front of his girlfriend.

Keith has prepared dinner, so all three sit at the kitchen island. She tries to make small talk, chatting about the office and her first client, a man suspecting his younger wife of having an affair. She can tell that he's waiting for her to get to her point, the reason she's there with Logan, who looks every bit as nervous as he feels.

"So, I have some news," she begins, her voice cheerful. This shouldn't be so hard.

He nods, waiting. She looks over to Logan, who stares back at her, and then turns to her father. "Dad, I'm pregnant." She's more comfortable with the idea, but not so much with the words.

Keith sets his fork down on his plate, and the silence in the room is painfully uncomfortable. "Is that why you left the FBI?" he asks after a beat, his jaw tight.

"No," Veronica replies, annoyed. "If I wanted to stay with the FBI and have a baby, I could have."

He turns his attention to Logan. "And what are you going to do about this?"

Logan smirks, and Veronica cringes on reflex. "Oh, haven't I done enough?" he replies cockily, and she shoots daggers in his direction

Keith ignores him. "You ready to be a father?" he asks, using his interrogation tone.

Logan fidgets in his seat, but looks Keith in the eye. "Yeah. I am."

"Really? And what do you know about being a father?" he asks, and Veronica closes her eyes and wishes that she were somewhere else.

"Well," Logan begins earnestly, "I've been watching a lot of old sitcoms." Keith rolls his eyes but Logan continues. "You know, _Daddy Dearest_ and _Make Room for Daddy._ I figure anything with 'Daddy' in the title-"

"I'm serious."

"What did _you_ know about being a father?" Logan asks, angry now. "Is there some manual I don't know about?"

Keith is about to reply when Veronica interrupts, her voice tight with tears. "Can we not do this now? Please? Aren't people supposed to be happy about this? Can't we just be happy?"

Logan reaches over to take her hand, and Keith has the decency to look ashamed. "Are you happy, honey?" he asks her.

Veronica nods, her eyes downcast. An outright 'yes' would be a lie, because she's still not sure how she feels about this, it's all happening so fast. But she knows she's getting more used to the idea, and she's not nearly as scared now as she was when she first found out.

Keith smiles at her, and takes her other hand. "Then I'm happy," he tells her.

"You know I'm the one who knocked her up, right?" Logan asks, incredulous, and she knows he's trying to break the tension with humor, but she digs her nails into his hand in retaliation.

"Oh Veronica," Keith sighs in mock exasperation. "We really need to talk about your taste in men."

She smiles, feeling as though a weight has been lifted from her shoulders now that her father knows. They go back to eating dinner, and she thinks that maybe, just maybe, everything will be okay this time around.


	3. Chapter 2

"Can I ask for some advice?" Mac questions, absently poking at her overpriced salad.

Veronica shifts in her seat, tired and uncomfortable. Really, she's the last person _anyone_ should be coming to for advice. "Shoot."

"Okay, so you're on a date with a guy, and he picks you up to drive you to the restaurant-"

"Whoa, timeout!" Veronica interrupts, her hands up. "You went on a date?"

Mac rolls her eyes, ignoring Veronica's ribbing. "_Anyway_, you're driving with him, and he says that he has to run in the store real quick to pick up a prescription."

"How romantic."

"Not even my point. As he's getting out of the car, he stops, looks at me, turns off the car and _takes the keys_ and then…_then_, he reaches over in front of me and _locks the glove compartment_."

"_What_?" Veronica gasps, her face scrunched by her wide smile. "Seriously?"

"The rest of the night, he acts completely normal. Like it never even happened."

"All right, who is this guy and what the hell was in his glove compartment?"

"A blind date, courtesy of my mother. And how should I know, he _locked it_."

"Assault weapon?" Veronica guesses, bringing her water glass to her lips.

"Previous date's face? Who knows? But…would you go out with him again?"

Veronica nods enthusiastically. "Definitely. You need to find out what's in there. Even if you're only doing it for me."

Mac pretends to consider the advice. "Hmm. While I appreciate your input, I think I'll just leave the mystery of the locked glove compartment alone for now." Veronica shakes her head.

"Unless," Mac adds, pushing her lunch aside, "I hire you to investigate, since, you know, you're _taking cases for free now_."

It's Veronica's turn to playfully roll her eyes. "Hey, not free. Just a very generous 90% discount. And it's not as pathetic as it sounds; it's a good way to keep busy and build up business," she reasons.

"Yeah? Cause it's driving Logan crazy."

"Trust me, Logan's fine." Veronica resists further commentary, not wanting their casual lunch date to slip into such tenuous territory. "Tell me more about this date."

"Not much to tell," Mac sighs. "The whole thing just reminds me of why I choose to be celibate."

Veronica nods, doing her best to be supportive. "Celibacy can be good." _Maybe I should have tried it._

"Actually," Mac begins reluctantly, "there is this guy…"

This gets Veronica's attention, happily distracting her from her previous train of thought. "Continue," she urges, waving her hand.

"He's a grad student at Cal Tech and he does some programming for us sometimes."

"That sounds promising," Veronica encourages, smiling at the blush spreading across Mac's cheeks.

"He likes anime and he's half-Japanese and _so_ beautiful and I've talked to him a total of three times."

"Aww, Mackie has a crush!"

"Alas, that was all it was ever meant to be."

"Oh come on. You haven't had a serious relationship since college. If you like him, go for it."

"Easier said than done," Mac returns, reaching for her wine glass. "He has no idea who I am, hasn't shown any interest…"

"If you realize you want something, then you should do something about it," Veronica tells her seriously.

Mac stares at her, her eyebrows raised. "Is that why you came back to Neptune? Why you're living with Logan?"

Veronica doesn't answer, just looks down at her food, her lips pursed. They haven't told anyone but her father that she's pregnant, and considering it's almost April, it's going to be something she has to talk about very soon. But ever since her first sonogram, the very first time she heard the baby's heartbeat (_heartbeat? Oh my God_), she hasn't been able to wrap her mind around it. And so she's doing what she does best when it comes to those heavy emotional matters: she's putting all of her energy into something else and telling herself that she'll deal with the other stuff later.

But this time she isn't alone in her avoidance. Logan, ever the yin to her yang, was always the one to confront feelings head on. _Always._ Until he heard the same thump, thump, thump that she heard and turned to stare at her in wide-eyed shock. Now they're both playing the same game, and the clock is ticking. Tick, tick, tick. Thump, thump, thump. How the hell are they going to deal with this?

"Well?"

Veronica smiles at her best friend. "Well…tell me more about this guy. What's his name?"

------------

_"So how does it feel to be done with your first year of college?"_

_Logan slumps down in his seat and kicks his feet up on the chair next to him. "Feels a lot like indigestion, actually," he yawns._

_It's the day after she went to his hotel room, the day after the election. They're officially on again and Vinnie is officially sheriff, and Veronica has decided that she's officially ready for the summer. It's been another crazy year._

_"How'd the test go?" she asks, unwrapping the napkin around her plastic utensils. She looks up at Logan but spots Piz standing near the DJ booth, staring at their table in shock. Logan notices her expression change and turns around to see what she's looking at._

_"Oh."_

_Veronica sighs, dropping her fork onto her tray. "We've only been broken up for a couple of days," she whispers, both their eyes still locked on Piz._

_"I'm nothing if not tactful," Logan replies, turning back in his seat just as Piz starts making his way over to them._

_"Hey," Piz smiles as he approaches them. "Lunch, huh?"_

_Veronica opens her mouth to speak, but Logan cuts her off. "Yep. Second most important meal of the day."_

_Piz nods, his head bopping animatedly as he looks back and forth between the two. Their breakup seemed amicable enough, if amicability could be measured in terms of resignation. Veronica doesn't doubt that Piz saw it all coming; she knew from his look that he knew from _her_ look that it was only a matter of time. After Logan left the cafeteria, they sat down together to eat, and their relationship was over before the food was cold._

_"Um, Veronica, I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry about your dad losing yesterday," Piz tells her._

_"Thanks," she tells him sincerely._

_"I really like him. I think he would have made a great sheriff."_

_"Yeah," Veronica replies, acutely aware of the tension. Why didn't they go to a restaurant off campus?_

_"I'm leaving for home on Saturday, but I was going to do a final show Friday night. You think he'd be interested in coming on again? I mean, we had a lot of fun last time and I thought it might give him a chance to explain his side-"_

_"I don't know, Piz," she interrupts, her eyes on Logan, who is staring off to the side, his jaw clenched. "There's legal issues and everything right now. But thanks."_

_"Yeah, okay. I get it," he stammers, looking down at Logan. "All right. I'll see you guys around. Have a nice summer."_

_He leaves in a hurry, and Veronica waits for the fallout._

_"You and Piz spent a lot of time with your dad, huh?" he asks, not looking up._

_"Not really," Veronica answers, even though it's a lie. She did have Piz over a lot. Wallace was always studying in his room at nights, and so it was easier for Piz to be at her place._

_"Daddy Mars approve?" Logan asks, his mouth twisting in a sardonic smile. "Piz is probably a parent's wet dream."_

_"Logan-"_

_"Have you told him yet that we're back together? Have you even told him that you and Piz broke up?"_

_Veronica takes a second to compose herself, exhaling slowly. "It's been one day. Things are crazy right now and he's dealing with _so_ much. The last thing he needs to be worried about is my love life."_

_"Yeah," Logan bites, bunching up his napkin in his fist before throwing it down on the table. "And you know he'd be terrified if you told him you were back with me, right?"_

_"You know that's not true."_

_"Really? Tell me, Veronica, did he ever throw Piz against a wall?"_

_"No," she responds, her voice choked with anger. "But Piz never freaked out and took it out on our lamp."_

_She can see the hurt all over Logan's face, and even though she's annoyed right now, with him, with the situation, with her _dad_, it still pains her to see him like this. She knows how much Logan wanted to win over her father. She saw how nervous he always was around him, how nervous _she_ always was when he was around him, both of them wanting so much for it be okay._

_Keith was pretty good at hiding his hand whenever Logan was present, and he never even went as far as to bad mouth him when he was still dating Veronica. But all bets were off during their breakups, and he didn't try to contain his joy when Veronica brought home another boy._

_"Maybe this was a bad idea," Logan whispers, and Veronica's head jerks up at those words. No, no, no. Not again._

_She doesn't say anything, her heart seemingly stuck in her throat, her stomach on the floor._

_"I mean, I'm leaving on Friday, and I'll be gone all summer, and you'll be in Virginia." His face has paled, his voice tight. He doesn't want this either, she tells herself. He's just upset. Things really are crazy right now and he's just upset._

_"Logan-"_

_"I'm sorry, Veronica." He looks up at her then, and she can see the tears in his eyes. What happened to yesterday? What happened to everything they said yesterday?_

_"God, Veronica, I am so sorry. I want to be with you right now but I promised myself I was done feeling like shit all of the time. I just…I can't." He stands from the chair and moves to kneel in front of her. She's holding her breath, her jaw taut, hands clenched at her side. "Be safe, okay?" And then he's kissing her forehead and this is the worst case of déjà fucking vu she has ever had and she's not going to be able to hold in the tears this time._

_She angrily wipes at her eyes as he walks away, and when he's out of sight, she takes a deep breath and stands. Piz is watching her from the DJ booth, and she stares him down as she gathers her things and leaves.  
_

Veronica's lounging on the bed, her pajama bottoms pulled down around her hips. She's thinking about a case but absently rubbing her stomach. Her belly is only slightly rounded, but that is going to change soon. Hell, everything is going to change soon.

"You're home." She lifts her head to see Logan standing in the doorway, his arms folded as he leans against the frame, watching her.

She groans as she sits up, her exhaustion catching up with her. "I don't think there's a person in Neptune who hasn't been to the office sometime in the last three weeks."

"Besides me?" he counters.

Well, she should have seen that one coming. "I got home an hour ago. I thought you had a meeting today?"

"I canceled. We need to talk." He unfolds his arms and moves into the hallway, and Veronica sighs as she follows him.

"What?" she asks as he leads her to the guestroom next door. He doesn't answer, just opens the door and waves her in. She steps into the now bare room, confused as she looks around. "What happened to the furniture?"

"I cleared everything out this morning. I figured this could be the nursery. You need to decide how you want to decorate it."

"What?" she repeats. "Whoa, wait, we haven't discussed any of this. I'm not even sure if I'll be living here after the baby is born."

"We haven't discussed anything because you don't want to talk about it. This isn't going to go away, Veronica!"

"Like I'm the only one playing the avoidance card here. You've been doing it too, you know," she yells back.

"Well I'm not doing it anymore. We can't." He takes a breath to calm himself. "I want to do right by you, okay? I want to do right by this baby."

Veronica stops, momentarily disarmed by his nobleness.

"And I think we should consider getting married."

That undoes her. She stares at him, mouth agape. "You cannot even be serious."

"Gee," he breathes, his hands at his hips and his eyes on the floor, "this is exactly how I always imagined this moment."

"Are you insane?" she shrieks. "What about me makes you think I would ever want to get married?"

He shrugs. "I don't know. It makes sense? It'd make a lot of things easier, and it's not like I wasn't already planning on spending the rest of my life with you."

"Logan," she sighs, calmer now. "I've never planned on getting married."

"Yeah, well, we didn't plan on this baby either. Things change." He relents at her look. "Just…think about it, okay?"

He can tell by her tense jaw and darkened eyes that she probably won't. Veronica Mars is a stubborn one.

"Hey, come here," his voice is soft as he reaches for her hand and pulls her to him. "I've barely touched you in weeks. I miss you." He wraps his arms around her, and she's stiff in his arms before finally relaxing against him, burying her face in his shirt.

"It just feels like everything is happening so soon," she murmurs. "I…I _can't_ get married. I can't."

"Okay. It's okay. We'll figure things out." He can feel the disappointment settling in his stomach but his voice doesn't betray him.

"I want to stay together," she admits. "I want to do all of this together, honest. It's just, everything is happening so fast."

"I know," he replies, smiling now as he runs his fingers through her hair. She hugs him tighter, content as he kisses the top of her head.

-----------

More than a month later and Logan is still thinking about his failed proposal. Veronica is laying next to him in bed, snoring softly, one of her legs hitched up over his waist and her head against his shoulder. It's uncomfortable sleeping on his back like this but he won't risk disturbing her now that she's finally asleep. He can feel her stomach against him, and even though it's still scary, it relaxes him.

Sometimes he's terrified by how much he loves her. He never thought it was possible to want her and need her more than he already did, but he'd been wrong. Now she and the baby are his chance at a family, and a family with Veronica means more to him than anything.

And he wants to marry her. He hadn't deluded himself into thinking that she'd say yes, but he had at least hoped she wouldn't seem so terrified at the prospect. After all, things have changed. _They_ have changed: they're older, hopefully wiser, a hell of a lot more stable. At least he hopes they are.

Veronica groans, twisting away from beside him. The baby is due in a little more than three months and the pregnancy is really starting to take its toll on her physically. The morning sickness that started at the end of her first term has only recently stopped, but now she's sore and tired and restless.

"Are you all right?" he whispers, reaching out to rub her back.

"I can't sleep." She moans in satisfaction as he works out a knot in her shoulder.

"Feel good?"

"Mm hmm." She rolls over, careful of her stomach, and rests her head against his chest. "Are you sleepy?" she asks as she rubs her foot against his calf muscle.

He smiles down at her and so she takes that as her cue to crawl up along his body.

"Your appointment is Tuesday, right?" he asks as she's nibbling on his earlobe.

She pulls back. "You really want to talk about this now?"

"I want to go with you."

She sighs, moving to sit next to him. "Fine. It's at one, should take about an hour."

"I'll clear my calendar."

"You know, we can find out the sex of the baby then," she informs him as she plays with the top of the sheet gathered around his waist.

"You want to?"

"Yeah, I think so. It seems easier that way."

Logan moves up in the bed to rest his back against the headboard. He smiles as he turns to her. "Do you want a boy or a girl?"

Veronica looks at him, eyebrows raised. It wasn't exactly something she'd thought about, being so sure that she was probably going to mess this baby up regardless of its gender.

"I don't know. I guess it doesn't really matter. You?"

"Girl," he replies, definite. "I'm good with girls."

"Hey now, girls can be handfuls. I'll refer you to my father on that."

"Yeah," Logan scoffs, moving his arms behind his head. "I'm sure he'd love to give me parenting advice."

"He would," Veronica tells him. She scoots closer to him, pulling the comforter with her. "Logan, if you ever wanted to talk to him about anything…"

"I don't think so," he says, his voice thick.

All of these years later and Logan still wants Keith to like him. He would deny it, and it certainly seems like he has given up on trying to make it happen, but she _knows_ he still wants it. He wants the acceptance, wants the approval. He wants to be a part of their family and their stories and their inside jokes.

Her dad might not be Logan's biggest fan, but he would certainly sit down with him and try to offer some parental reassurance, even if he was only doing it for Veronica.

"Yes, he would," she insists. "Look, I know things are still tense, but you're the father of his only grandchild. You guys really need to work things out. If you're not going to get along and we have this baby…" She stops and tries to compose herself, white nose ringing in her ears as she starts to panic, and suddenly Logan's arms are around her and he's whispering comforting words in her ear.

"Shh. I'll talk to him, okay? I'll take care of it. Don't cry. Please."

She's surprised to find that she _is_ crying, her chest heavy as hot tears stream down her face. "I-I don't have anyone to teach me how to be a mother," she sobs, her words muffled against his chest.

Logan rests his cheek against the top of her head and runs his hands down along her back, desperately trying to soothe her. He doesn't know what to say so he doesn't say anything, but he holds her tighter.

She begins to calm down after a few minutes, and Logan kisses her forehead as she pulls back from him. He doesn't want her to be embarrassed by her show of emotion. It's long overdue.

"I think you're going to be a great mother," he tells her, reaching out to wipe the tears off of her face. "Veronica," he chuckles as he stares at her lovingly, "you're good at _everything_."

She shakes her head as she tries to work past the lump in her throat. "No, I'm not. I wasn't a good friend, I wasn't good in the FBI, I…I wasn't good with you."

"Hey," he starts, ducking his head to meet her eye-to-eye, "we've _both_ messed up before. And I've fucked up a hell of a lot more than you ever have. That doesn't matter now, okay?" He took the wrong approach before, he realizes. It doesn't matter if he thinks, hell, if he _knows_ that she's the most amazing woman in the world, capable of anything. Reminding her of the pedestal he sometimes puts her on certainly isn't going to help her any now.

"You're the strongest person I know," he assures her. "You can do this."

Her nod isn't convincing, and he desperately wants to comfort her. "Hey, whenever you're freaking out about it, just do what I do. I think about how billions of men throughout history have been able to do it. The cavemen managed," he states seriously.

She smiles at that. "So easy a caveman can do it? It's not exactly switching car insurance providers, Logan."

He grins back at her. "We'll be okay."

Truthfully, Logan's own coping method is more like playing the mantra of, _I'm not my father_ on loop in his mind. Sometimes he even believes it.

"I just wish I knew what I was doing," she admits, her voice barely audible.

"Nobody going through this for the first time does."

"I know."

He pauses, wondering if he should really say what he's about to say. It's something he has wanted to ask her for awhile. "Veronica, have you…have you thought about trying to find your mom?"

Her head whips up at that, and he regrets it almost immediately. "Because she's such a great role model?" she asks bitingly.

"It'd be nice for you to have someone to talk to about it. Someone who knows-"

She cuts him off with a firm, "No." He doesn't press the issue.

"I wish my mom was still here," he whispers. "To help you. She probably couldn't do more than take you shopping and recommend a nanny, but she'd be here."

"I know," Veronica whispers, feeling a bit shamed. She knows Logan isn't being anything but sincere with his comments, but it reminds her that her decision to cut Lianne out of her life is a choice, and Logan will never have any choices to make about his relationship with his parents.

"I'll talk to your dad tomorrow, okay?"

She smiles and leans in to kiss him. "Thank you."

_**Now…**_

"Logan?"

He didn't move, just continued to stare blankly at the ceiling, his eyes glazed over.

"You hungry?"

Logan's throat muscles tightened as he swallowed, but he didn't speak. Leo watched him carefully, studying him as he lay rigid on the bare mattress. The deputy had removed the dingy county sheets himself, rolling them into a ball on top of Inga's desk, alongside Logan's belt and jacket. It wasn't protocol, but he wasn't taking any chances. If Logan would tap dance on the edge of a bridge after being accused of Lilly Kane's murder, Leo could only imagine what he was capable of right now.

But Logan had barely moved once in the four hours that he had been in the cell. And the silence, the stillness, was far more unnerving.

Leo stepped back from the bars, exhaling slowly as he tried to think of something to say.

_"Logan, I'm sorry, but you need to come with me."_

He mulled over the empty platitudes that he usually relied on when he wanted to comfort someone, but he couldn't bring himself to say anything. He never considered Logan a friend…never really considered Logan, period. But Leo knew a bad guy when he saw one, and the broken man in the cell before him wasn't one of them. Evidence be damned. Keith Mars be damned, too.

_"You have the right to remain silent…"_

Leo never actually cuffed him. It wasn't like Logan put up much of a fight.

"Veronica's still in with the Feds, but I'll let you know when she's here, okay?"

Silence.

He didn't know what else to do, so he turned to leave. He was three steps away when he stopped, the image of his own daughter popping into his mind. "Logan," he called, his head down and back still turned, "I know you didn't do it." He walked away then, not expecting a response and so not waiting for one.


	4. Chapter 3

_Veronica is halfway through her junior year at Hearst when Liam Fitzpatrick visits Keith Mars. He's at her desk in their office, paying some bills and drinking some coffee, when he hears the door slam. He looks up from the credit card statement to see Liam, all sneer and swagger, marching towards him._

"Liam."

He comes to stand before him, his smile tight as he stares Keith down. "Keith Mars, we have some unfinished business to attend to."

Keith groans in annoyance, but motions for Liam to take a seat.

"What's this about, Liam?"

"How soon we forget," he grins. "I'll take the blame for that, though. I've been a little preoccupied. Usually I'm one for some, uh, friendly_ reminders. Won't happen again."_

"More of this?" Keith pushes his papers aside. "I've told you before. Kendall's dead, Cormac killed her. I don't know what happened to her money."

"You wouldn't think a man of honor would lie so easily," Liam muses. "Of course, I guess your honor's a bit questionable, huh? To think of all the work I put in to make sure Vinnie Van Lowe took the election, and you practically handed it to him on a platter."

"I guess things just have a way of working themselves out."

Liam's grin widens. "They sure do."

"So what can I do for you?" Keith asks, his patience and nerves wearing thin.

"You can give me my money."

"I've told you-"

"You've lied," he interrupts. "Did you think I'd just forget about it? Bygones, to millions of dollars lost?" He leans forward to rest his elbows on the desk. "It took awhile, but I found out everything I needed to know. And I know everything."

Keith tenses for a moment, but decides that Liam is bluffing. "Well, then I guess you know a hell of a lot more than I do about all of it."

"Oh I wouldn't say that. After all, you were there, weren't you?"

"I really don't know what you're talking about-"

"Let me refresh your memory then. Kendall made almost eight million dollars when that Casablancas kid jumped. She never was the sharpest tool, but she knew better than to put her money in any bank. Kept $250,000 in cash, and used the rest to buy Van Gogh's Two Lovers_ from a private collector. Now is this ringing any bells?"_

Keith feels the chill running down his spine, and he doesn't trust himself to speak. Liam continues, "Of that quarter million, she paid you $50,000." He leans in even closer, stage whispering, "Vinnie would have done it for less than half that. Like I said, she wasn't very sharp.

"So you do your part, set her up with a new identity for a fresh start with my brother. Which was really_ going to screw me over, by the way. And then Cormac, once a Fitzpatrick, always a Fitzpatrick, did just like you said he did. I'm pretty sure that's the only truth you've told me this entire time."_

"And that's where it ends. That's all I know, Liam. I don't have your money."

"You're right about that. See, it took awhile, hence my noticeable absence, but I tracked down that painting. It belongs to a record producer in New York now. Did you know that?"

Keith shakes his head.

"He bought it from a small museum in San Diego. I had a nice long talk with one of the curators there."

"Liam-"

"You weren't stupid enough to give them your name, but it's not exactly like they're going to forget someone who comes in with a multimillion dollar painting and offers up all the proceeds to a charity."

He notices Keith blanch and he laughs. Even his chuckle is menacing. "I guess I'm not just the pretty face you took me for."

"Look, I didn't know about any deal with you when-"

"My cut was going to be about two million. I spent the last two years trying to track that money down, and now that I know what you did, I expect you to pay me my due."

"I don't have that kind of money," Keith breathes, exasperated. "I don't have any access to that kind of money."

"Let it not be said that I'm not a fair man, Keith. I'm just asking for my initial cut- two million, in cash. Now with poor Kendall long gone and Cormac, may he rest in peace, joining her, I would have been the sole heir. I could be taking you for almost eight million dollars."

"You might as well," Keith returns. "You're just as likely to get that from me as you are two million."

Liam laughs, a raucous noise that shakes Keith to his core. "Trust me, you'll pay, one way or another. Got it?"

He stands and moves around the room as Keith absorbs the impact of his words. "How's that daughter of yours?" he finally asks.

Keith remains quiet.

"She's at Hearst, right?" No answer. "It's Friday." Liam checks his watch. "Almost eleven. She should be finishing up with her art history class right about now." Keith looks up at him, wide-eyed. "Then she'll probably have lunch in the food court. Pizza, maybe. She seems to always have pizza on Fridays."

"Liam, please-"

He walks back to Keith's desk and stares him down. "You'll pay, Keith. Where there's a will, there's a way. And if you try to pull anything, if you call the cops or try to get your little girl out of town, I'll know_. And she'll be dead before you're off the phone."_

It feels like there's an ice cold vice grip around Keith's heart, which is beating hard and loud, and he still can't speak.

"I'll check in next week. And I'll be watching until then. You don't want to make this any worse than it already is."

Liam slams the door shut behind him and Keith comes undone.

------------

The morning after his discussion with Veronica, Logan stands at Keith Mars's door. He's nervous and twitchy, and he _hates_ that Keith can still make him feel like this. He takes a deep breath before knocking.

"Logan." Keith is surprised to see him darkening his doorstep, but he recovers quickly and waves him inside. Logan's hands are shoved into the pockets of his jeans, and he keeps his head down as he moves past Keith and into the apartment.

"What brings you to this side of town?"

"Is this a bad time? I was going to call first but-"

"It's fine," Keith interrupts, taking a seat at the kitchen island. "I just had a long night at work."

Logan nods as he pulls out a chair to sit across from Keith. "How's work?"

"Oh you know, it's…work." Keith manages a crooked smile. "The new county supervisor is being a bit of a pain in the ass."

It's been nine years since Beaver Casablancas blew up Woody Goodman's plane, and that night and all of its aftermath is not something Logan likes to revisit, but talk of the latest elected official reminds him of Goodman. The newest "mayor" of Neptune, Davis Jenkins, probably doesn't have nearly as many skeletons in his closet as Woody, but he does seem to have some sort of agenda against Keith. Logan has heard through friends that Jenkins wanted a new sheriff appointed; apparently Keith's sketchy history with the department makes the mayor uneasy. But Keith's popularity with the people grew tremendously after he was credited with running the Fitzpatricks out of town, and the majority holds.

"Ever think about retiring early?" Logan asks him, but Keith is shaking his head, lips pursed, before the question is complete.

"I've still got a good ten years before retirement," he boasts proudly, his eyes bright. Retirement now would mean Jenkins won, and Keith is just as stubborn as his daughter.

There's an awkward lull in the conversation as Logan tries to think about how to approach the subject of their relationship. The two men sit in silence, each waiting and hoping for the other to try to break the ice.

"I was talking to Veronica last night," Logan finally begins. "She's not having the easiest time right now. She's scared."

There isn't a need to elaborate; Keith knows exactly what it is Veronica fears. "Her mother should be here," he states simply. But he wants the shiny version of Lianne- the one who made elaborate family dinners and always greeted him at the door, the one who tended to Veronica's aches and pains, whether it was a scraped knee or a broken heart. Sober Lianne, faithful Lianne, the Lianne that Keith thinks may never have really existed.

All these years later and each one of Lianne's betrayals still burns. Sometimes he wonders where she is and what she's doing, but he never wonders for long.

Logan remains quiet and so Keith changes course. "How are _you_ feeling?" he asks, and Logan seems to breathe a sigh of relief at the question.

"Terrified," he admits with a rueful smile.

"You wouldn't be human if you weren't."

"I didn't exactly have the best role model, you know?"

Keith nods in understanding. "I never really had a very good relationship with my father," he confesses. "He wasn't a _bad_ man, but we just never got along. He died when Veronica was eight."

Logan can't quite hide his surprise. He always envisioned Keith as a family man in every sense of the word.

"I always promised myself that I wouldn't ever be that way with my children."

"Yeah," Logan agrees, folding his hands together nervously. "I promise myself the same thing."

"I was your age when Veronica was born," Keith reminisces. "It was the scariest and best moment of my life." He grows quiet and somber, and Logan isn't quite sure what to say. When Keith finally speaks again, he's wistful. "The years just fly by."

"Look, Mr. Mars-"

"You can call me Keith."

"Keith," he begins again, "I know you don't like me-"

"I don't have anything against you, Logan," he interrupts. "I haven't forgotten what you've done for me."

"I did it for Veronica," he clarifies, growing annoyed. He doesn't buy that Keith doesn't have anything against him. Actions speak louder than words.

"And you know how much I appreciated it. I still do. But I thought we were on the same page."

"What page would that be?"

"The one where we _both_ respect what's best for Veronica."

Logan laughs, hollow and broken. "Right. And what's best for Veronica's not me."

"What's best for Veronica," Keith sighs, "is a real career and a life out of Neptune. Now she's back in my old office, taking pictures of cheating husbands and barely scraping by. Come on, you know she's better than that!"

"Veronica doesn't have to scrape for anything," Logan informs him haughtily. "And this is what she _wanted_. Maybe if you knew your daughter half as well as you think you do, that wouldn't be a surprise."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"What the hell do you think it means?" Logan pushes his chair out and stands. "I know you think Veronica could do better than me. I used to think that too." He pauses, his hands curled in tights fists at his side. "But I'm not a teenager anymore, and I've worked really hard and I've got a lot going for me now." He stares Keith in the eye, almost presenting a challenge. "I love her and I'm not giving her up again. Not as long as she'll have me."

Keith's jaw tightens but he doesn't argue. He knows Logan loves Veronica and he knows that he would do anything to protect her. But he doesn't want his daughter to be in a position where she needs to be protected. He wants more for her than he ever had. She deserves a good job where she'll garner merit and respect. And she deserves a chance at being normal, which doesn't include a life with someone like Logan Echolls, no matter how much he claims to have changed.

"I'm gonna go," Logan tells him now, the fight leaving him as quickly as it came. "I told Veronica I'd work things out with you, but I'm not sure if that's really possible. But we need to try and get along for her sake." He starts heading for the door, and he calls out behind him, "I know nothing's changed, but as far as she's concerned, we're trying. Right?"

Keith nods but doesn't make eye contact. "Right."

----------

_'If these are the best years of my life, then I'm in trouble,' Veronica thinks. The start of her last year of college and she's working in the library on a Friday night. Who needs keggers when you've got Dewey Decimal?_

She can't blame the part-time job in the library on her lack of a social life, though. Her relationships have all taken hits. Veronica hasn't spoken to Logan in several months. After he broke up with her at the end of freshman year, he wrote her a very long letter of explanation. He told her he still loved her and always would, and that, again, he would be there for her if she ever needed anything, but that he needed to work on some things for himself now. It was like their first freshman year breakup all over again, really. She shouldn't have been surprised; they never worked out those issues after reconciling, so of course it was only a matter of time before it reared its head again.

But he does seem to be doing well for himself. She may not be talking to him at the moment but she is always keeping tabs. There doesn't seem to be anyone else in the picture, at least not anyone serious. Logan is overloading on courses this semester and focusing most of his attention on school. He declared his major in business sophomore year and, from what Veronica can tell, he seems to be excelling at it.

Veronica's not having such an easy time. Her internship at the FBI went well enough, and after spending another summer interning in Virginia, she is hopeful that she could get in with the academy after graduation. But her personal life is in the pits. She dates casually, and likes it that way, but her friendships are suffering. Mac is studying abroad in Japan for her final year, and Veronica fears that a fallout with Wallace has done irreparable damage to their relationship. He isn't taking her calls or responding to her emails, and if they see each other on campus, he looks the other way. It is killing her.

She is alphabetizing a set of biographies when she hears her phone buzz. With it being early in the semester and a Friday night, the library is completely deserted. She stops working and rushes to answer the call, figuring that it must be her father because there really isn't anyone else right now.

The phone stops ringing right before she reaches it, and she's surprised to see that she has missed a call from Logan. She's about to call him back when the phone beeps to alert her of a new voicemail message, which she immediately checks.

Veronica, it's…it's me. It's Logan. Could you please call me back as soon as you get this? I-I really need you right now.__

She immediately hits the send button, her fingers shaking with nerves. Logan sounded so distraught, so lost.

"Logan?" she asks when he picks up after the first ring.

He seems to breathe a sigh of relief at the sound of her voice. "Veronica."

"What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"Can you stop by my place? Please? I can't be alone right now."

"Why? What happened?" Her thoughts are racing with the possibilities.

"My mom," he chokes. "They found her."

-----------  
_  
She makes it to the Grand in about twenty minutes. It didn't take her long to lockup the empty library; the only real obstacle was herself, her mental berating for rushing off to see him when they hadn't had a real conversation since before the summer. She knows that she's still in love with him and it's not going away, and that this is definite heartbreak potential to go to Logan now. She knows but she doesn't care, because Logan needs her and for once, she's going to put being there for him above anything else._

She knocks once and then he's swinging open the door and grabbing her, his arms wrapped tight around her waist and his face buried in the crook of her neck. She hugs him to her, his weight making her knees buckle, and tries to walk him back into his suite.

"Logan," she whispers in his ear as she tries to urge him to stand up. "Come on, let's go sit on the couch and talk."

He manages to pull himself together long enough to make it to the sofa, and she sits beside him and reaches for his hand.

"I got a call a few hours ago from the county coroner," he tells her. "I guess that last week some guy found remains in a cove up along the coast. They used dental records to identify her."

She massages his hand with her own. "I'm so sorry," she tells him, scooting beside him in her seat so she can rest her head against his shoulder.

"I mean, I knew she was dead. At least I thought I did. It just…it feels like I lost her all over again." He sobs then and Veronica tries to hold him against her, his body shaking as he cries. She runs her hands through his hair as she tries to soothe him, and it feels just like that day at the Sunset Regent.

When his crying subsides, he pulls back from her and wipes at his face. "Thank you. For coming here."

She smiles tenderly as she reaches out to brush away a stray tear. "Anytime."  


Veronica can't stop staring at the picture. They're having a little boy, and thanks to the marvels of technology and the latest 3D sonogram machines, she can see more than just a barely distinguishable white mass in a sea of black. The baby has his hand up near his face, his eyes closed as he sleeps. She can't say that he looks like either her or Logan, because he just looks like a blob of baby right now, but she thinks he's adorable.

She hears Logan approaching and so she slides the photo under a stack of mail. He comes behind her and reaches past her to grab the newspaper off the center island.

"Good morning," he says, kissing her cheek. He wraps his arm around her, pulling her back firmly against his chest, and gently pats her stomach with the flat of his hand. "Maybe you should consider switching to light beer."

"Har har," she returns, elbowing him in the gut. He grunts exaggeratedly and then moves to make a pot of coffee, something that Veronica is missing desperately.

"So what are you doing today?" he asks as he leans against the counter.

"I think I'm just going to stay in. I'm tired and I don't have any appointments at the office."

"Want me to stay with you?"

"You don't have to do that," she tells him, reaching for one of her bills.

"I was just going to have lunch meeting today, and that's not really important." She doesn't reply, and so he pushes himself away from the granite and stands beside her. "Everything okay?"

She sighs as she looks over her credit card statement. She had to buy a new lens for her camera and it practically broke her, and now she isn't sure how she is going to make the rent for July and still pay all of the other bills. While her _very_ generous discount promotion seemed like a good idea and certainly got more people through her door, it wasn't exactly the best way to pad her bank account.

"What's wrong?"

She bites her lip in thought, wondering if she really wants to ask him. He might lend money for a living, but they don't exactly have a business relationship. And she _hates_ borrowing money from anyone, let alone her boyfriend.

"Veronica?"

"Do you think I could borrow $500?" She tries to get the words out as quickly as possible.

He seems to gawk for a second, surprised, but recovers quickly. "Yeah, of course. Whatever you need."

She throws her head back and groans, frustrated. "Ugh, I do _not_ want to have to rely on you for money."

"You don't have to rely on me for anything," he tells her defensively. "But I thought we were going to do all of this together."

"That doesn't have anything to do with money though."

Now Logan sighs. "Come on, what's mine is yours." At her raised eyebrow, he continues, "I'm serious. I mean, Aaron was all about controlling everyone with the purse strings, and I promise I'm never going to do that to you."

"This doesn't have anything to do with Aaron," she tells him gently. "I just don't like having to depend on anyone but myself."

"You're not depending on me," he groans, growing frustrated. "Asking for help every now and then doesn't make you weak, Veronica."

"I know," she sighs. She folds the piece of mail and shoves it back in the envelope. "I'm just a little overextended this month. I don't think it'll happen again."

He doesn't want to keep having the same argument; really, her just asking him for any money at all is a welcome surprise. He decides to change the topic. "So," he starts to ask, turning away from her to make a cup of coffee, "when do you plan on closing down the office?"

"What?"

"Maternity leave? Aren't you going to give yourself any time off?"

She seems kind of taken by the question, like she hadn't thought about it as much as she should have by now. "Well, yeah. I guess until August?"

He nods to that, his eyes on his coffee cup as he stirs in some cream. He looks up to see her eyeing his drink, and he smiles. "Sorry. But I'm useless without it."

She returns his smile with her own, but there seems to be something weighing on her mind. She hesitates for a moment before finally asking, "What are we going to do after the baby gets here?"

Logan places his cup on the counter and then walks to stand beside her. He pushes past her stack of mail and grabs the sonogram picture, examining it closely. "You don't have to hide this, you know."

"I know," she replies, plucking the picture out of his hand.

"You want to keep working after the baby," he says, more a statement than a question.

Veronica closes her eyes, thinking that this is the moment where the floodgates break open. He probably won't want her to work, won't want her to risk her safety when she should be home being a mother.

She wants to suggest a nanny, but the idea of a stranger raising her child doesn't really appeal to her. But she can't stop working. She just can't. Not only does she have serious doubts about her motherly instincts, she also has an almost compulsive need to work. It's a part of her and she doesn't think she could give it up.

"I can do it," he tells her, breaking into her thoughts. She looks up at him as she tries to process his words.

"I want to," he continues.

"You think you can?" she asks, almost in awe.

He shrugs. "I've done a lot of things I never thought I could do."

She stares down at the photo again. A very strong part of her feels like she owes this baby; he's already behind in the game with her as a mother, with them for parents. She knows he's not going to have a traditional family, but he deserves one. He deserves to have everything a child should.

"We should get married."

Logan stares at her, his mouth agape. "What?"

She smiles at him beatifically. "Let's get married."

He's dumbfounded, and behind the clouds of confusion, he knows that this isn't right. He should argue with her, question her motives and her change of heart, but in that moment all he can manage is to nod his okay.

------------

_Veronica had suggested that Logan take this chance to have a proper burial for Lynn, and he agreed. Her empty casket, from her empty funeral, was located in the cemetery in Neptune. There, she was beside Aaron. So this time around Logan opted for her to be buried in her hometown in Sacramento, in the same plot as his grandparents._

He didn't invite anyone else; Veronica offered to go with him, and he gratefully accepted, but that was it. He wanted it to be as private as possible.

And it is. He had picked a gorgeous stainless steel coffin with white flowers of all kinds adorning every square inch. The minister had performed a brief ceremony and then, at Logan's request, left him and Veronica to be alone before Lynn was lowered into the cold ground.

It's a beautiful, sunny day. They sit beside each other in white folding chairs, both of them enjoying the calm silence of the cemetery.

"This is nice," Veronica smiles, her voice lazy as she leans back in her seat, the sun bathing her face.

Logan nods his agreement, but continues to stare straight ahead at the casket.

"Hey," Veronica says, reaching out for his hand. "Tell me a story about her."

Logan looks down at her hand covering his and smiles. "What kind of story?"

"A good one. A happy one," she clarifies, watching him carefully.

Logan thinks for a minute, his head back as he looks up at the sky. "Hmm…okay. Um, one time, I think I was about nine, I was really jealous of Trina because she was having a huge sweet sixteen party. My dad even paid Boyz II Men to play."

"Boyz II Men?" Veronica grins. "I loved them."

"Well, who couldn't with those color coordinated ensembles? Anyway, aside from the awkwardness of them singing I'll Make Love to You_ to a bunch of teenage girls, the party was a huge success and Trina would not shut the hell up about it."_

"Ah, not surprised," Veronica intones.

"My birthday wasn't nearly as cool. I wanted to be_ Jack Hanna back then, so I usually had my party at the zoo. I thought it was awesome but Trina always teased me about it."_

Veronica nods along with the story, a feeling of melancholy settling over her as she looks over at the coffin. Logan really is all alone now, and there's no longer comfort in even the most unlikely of hopes that she might still be out there, somewhere.

"So my mom was getting really pissed off at Trina always telling me that Dad loved her more because her party was better. Probably because my mom knew that it was true."

"Logan-"

"No, really, trust me on this one. I don't know how much he was capable of actually loving anyone, but that was definitely something he did to let you know how he felt." Logan still remembers his_ sixteenth birthday, when his father announced that the yellow Xterra Logan had been driving around for practice was now all his. Logan _hated_ that thing and his father knew it. Hell, that's why he bought it. His son had been gunning for an expensive luxury SUV in a sleek color, like the Mercedes Benz ML 500 that Lilly had. Aaron had been well aware of his wishes and so Logan should have known better._

"So while Aaron was off shooting some crap film, and Trina was spending the summer with her mother, my mom took me on an African safari." He grins as he remembers that vacation, two of the greatest weeks of his childhood. "And she told me that I should make sure that Trina heard all_ about it."_

Veronica laughs as she tugs at Logan's hand. "I really liked your mom. She never made me feel like I didn't belong."

"She really loved you," he adds softly. "She always wanted to know why I didn't try to find someone like you instead of dating Lilly. Go figure."

"You remember how Lilly and Duncan always spent most of August at the Kane beach house in LA?"

Logan nods.

"Sometimes your mom would call me then and tell me that I should drag you out of the house before you lost the use of your legs from playing videogames," she confesses.

Now Logan laughs. "Yeah, I really wouldn't have put it past her to try and play matchmaker." He casts a sidelong glance at his ex. "She wasn't wrong."

"Huh?" Veronica asks, turning to look at him.

Logan looks down, shy now, and fiddles with the bottom of his black silk tie. "She was right. About you being the one for me."

Veronica feels speechless, and a better part of her wants to confront him about the past three years, about how he can say those things when he seemed so intent on staying away from her. She hasn't forgotten the way he treated her before he came to her the first time about Lynn, and how that seemed to be a turning point in their relationship.

It would be very easy for her to be angry with him now- a simple way for her to protect herself from more potential heartbreak. She doesn't want mourning over his mother to have any bearing on his relationship with Veronica. Not again. It never seemed to end well for her.

A part of her wants to call him on all of this, but another part of her is holding back. She thinks of Wallace and the look of disappointment on his face when she did exactly what he asked her not to, and she remembers promising herself that she was really going to change. Losing her best friend made Veronica finally realize that she needed to stop assuming the very worst of people. Oh, she was still suspicious by nature, and she would never be one to trust easily. But unless someone gave her a reason to think otherwise, she wasn't going to condemn anyone without a fair trial.

Logan's hurt you in the past.__

True. But she's also hurt Logan, she reminds herself. And they've both helped each other in the past, too.

When she lost her mother, the first_ time she lost her mother, Veronica didn't have a friend she felt she could confide in. Now she has the chance to be a friend to Logan and _not_ verbally attack him because she feels like he's sending her mixed signals._

She takes a deep breath but doesn't say anything, and Logan seizes the opportunity to try and clear the air. "I just want you to know that I meant everything I said that night. At the hotel. And I still mean it."

"Do you realize," she starts, a wistful smile gracing her face, "that we've been apart now for far longer than we've ever been together?"

He doesn't answer her, so she continues. "You know, we were never even really together for very long at all. A couple of weeks here, a few months there…"

"What's your point, Veronica?" he asks, an edge to his voice.

She shakes her head, not even sure herself. "I guess I'm just surprised at the impact our relationship has had on me when it probably only adds up to a few hundred days."

Logan turns in his seat to face her, his knees brushing against hers along the way. "There's a lot_ more to us than a few hundred days."_

"Yeah," she agrees, much more convincingly than any previous utterances of that particular word. "I know." She smiles up at him. "We're always going to be in each other's lives," she states. He nods his agreement and she takes his hand again. "It's nice to have something you can depend on."

"Something, someone_," he replies, holding her hand up and then softly kissing her knuckles._

She studies him as his lips brush against the back of her hand. Was she really going to allow herself to put that kind of trust in Logan Echolls?

"Yeah," she agrees.

They separate as the minister returns and pulls Logan aside. Veronica stands from the chair and smoothes her black skirt as she tries to think of what she should say as they lower the coffin. And then she realizes that it's Logan_ and she doesn't have to say anything._

He stands right next to her, tightly holding her hand, and they say their final goodbye to Lynn as the dirt rains down over her casket.

------------

Their wedding is on the third Saturday in July. Veronica, thirty four weeks pregnant and dressed in a comfortable cotton dress, is cruelly being forced to dance with her, and she can barely believe this herself, _husband_.

"C'mon, this isn't too bad, right?" he whispers in her ear as they sway back and forth to Frank Sinatra's _It Had to Be You_, which was undoubtedly Logan's song pick.

"I can't believe I wore white," she tells him, shaking her head. "Aside from everyone here knowing that I'm obviously not a virgin, I look like the damn Michelin man."

"You look beautiful," he assures her. Logan has been on cloud nine pretty much all day, smiling and joking and, dare she say, _mingling_. Her own fault, she thinks, regretting having agreed to a compromise on their wedding plans. The ceremony was just how she pictured it- a simple service performed by a judge at the local courthouse, with her father and Mac serving as the only witnesses. But the reception, which Veronica would have been happy to skip altogether in favor of a small dinner at a nice restaurant, is all Logan.

Veronica has to admit that everything _is_ really gorgeous. It's a clear, warm night at the country club Logan had booked, and aside from the dancing, it hasn't been _too_ awful. The light breeze as they dance on the outside patio is helping to make things a bit more bearable.

"Hey," Logan says, trying to get Veronica's attention. "I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry."

She looks up at him, her brow furrowed. "What for?"

"For that lame proposal. I made it sound like a business proposition. And you deserve a lot better than that."

"I think _I_ technically proposed to _you_," she corrects him.

He shrugs. "You know what I mean. Anyway, I'm sorry."

"You don't have to be sorry," she tells him. "I'm not really one for grand romantic gestures."

"Liar," he grins. She opens her mouth to rebuke him but he doesn't give her the chance. "Don't even try to deny it. You _love_ those gestures."

"Nope. If you would have gotten down on one knee, I would have laughed at you."

"Oh I know," he states simply. "But you would have loved it."

"Well I guess we'll never know," she teases. He smiles and leans in to kiss her softly on the lips.

"May I cut in?"

Logan turns to see a beaming Mac, and Veronica sighs in relief. "Thank God," she mutters as she pulls away from Logan and eyes a nearby chair.

"Oh I don't want to dance with him," Mac tells her, grabbing for Veronica's hand.

Logan gracefully bows out as Veronica glowers at her friend. "You know, I could have made you wear a really ugly dress and bossed you around _all day_. But I didn't."

"Noted."

"Do you have any idea how much my feet hurt?"

"One dance!" Mac promises as she tries to find a way to fit against Veronica's large belly. "You owe me anyway."

Veronica shakes her head. "Someone buys you a cappuccino maker and suddenly they've got dibs on your soul."

"True, but I'm talking about all of the bombs you've been dropping on me in the last few months. You leave your job, come back to Neptune, move in with Logan-"

"I was actually there for it all, so you can skip the recap."

"And then you tell me that you're pregnant. And then that you're getting married! You know I don't do well with change."

"Heh, how do you think I feel?"

Mac smiles at her. "It's not so bad, is it?"

"Actually," Veronica smiles back, "it really isn't."

"And can you believe this shindig or what?" Mac enthuses.

"I have no idea who most of these people are," Veronica grins. "Did you know Logan had so many friends?"

"Nah, it's mostly business. He's made a lot of people very rich."

"And speak of the devil," Veronica says as she looks past Mac's shoulder to see Logan making his way back to them.

When he asks to cut in, Veronica groans. But Logan reaches for Mac. "Go sit down and have some cake."

"You're too kind, really." But Veronica doesn't waste any time rushing off, heading for the table where her father is currently seated. Keith Mars has been quiet for most of the day, but he remains as supportive of his daughter as always.

"So," Mac begins as Logan moves her across the dance floor, "you seem uncharacteristically cheerful."

"I know. Disgusting, isn't it?"

"Pretty much."

Logan smiles. "It's probably dangerous to even think that all of this could actually work out, huh?"

"Not necessarily," Mac replies. She pauses for a moment before looking back up at him, thoughtful now. "Maybe…maybe since you've both had so many bad things happen before, now you're due for the good stuff. You know?"

Logan's face scrunches in surprise. "What's this, Cindy Mackenzie: Optimist?"

She shrugs, a small smile playing on her lips. "I just think we're all due for a little happiness."

"Yeah," Logan agrees, pulling her to him in a hug. "I hope so."

------------

_Tuesday, September 1st, 2015_

Logan grunts in pain as his stomach painfully constricts for the third time in as many seconds. He grips the toilet seat as he presses his head against the cool porcelain. Across the hall, Veronica is in labor.

"Please tell me you didn't eat in the cafeteria."

Logan looks up in a daze to see Keith leaning against the door frame, wearily eyeing his now son-in-law resting on the bathroom floor.

"I don't think I can do this," Logan admits, his voice weak.

"Logan, don't make me kill you on my grandson's birthday."

All of his defenses are down, and in this moment Logan feels very much like a scared child. "What if I'm like my father?" he asks.

"If I thought you were like Aaron, they never would have found your body."

Logan sits up and wipes at his mouth and Keith moves to help him to his feet. "Come on, Veronica needs you in there."

Logan stands, his knees wobbly as he tries to walk. He splashes cold water on his face at the sink and then Keith pats him on the back as they make their way out into the hall. Logan hesitates again, taking a deep breath as he glances over at Veronica's room. "Hey, Keith?"

Keith looks up at him and waits for Logan to say something.

"Thanks."

Keith smiles and points at the hospital room. "Go."

------------

_Monday, December 31st, 2012_

"So the Mayans were wrong."

Veronica can't help but grin at the sound of his voice, and she spins around to find him standing in front of her, dressed in a sharp navy suit and holding a glass of champagne.

"Mac told me you wouldn't be here. I thought you were in London."

"It's New Year's Eve," he reasons, handing her the glass.

Veronica accepts it and takes a sip. "I'm really glad you're here, because this party blows."

"Blame the host," he says, pointing to Mac, who is busy trying to entertain some of the one hundred guests crammed into the sporting club at the San Diego Hyatt Regency.

"Eh, she's a slave to corporation now."

"Aren't we all?" he asks.

"You two are the ones who decided to go for MBAs," Veronica teases him. She's actually extremely proud. Only six months earlier, Logan had graduated from USC, top of his class.

He shrugs. "What are your hopes for 2013?"

She thinks for a moment before answering, "A transfer out of Omaha?"

"It's not getting any better, huh?" he asks seriously.

She shakes her head, but she doesn't want to elaborate. She loathes even thinking about work now, and with five days left of her vacation, she's going to try to get away without talking about it, too.

Logan is looking ridiculously good tonight and Veronica finds her mind wandering. They've maintained a great friendship these past few years, but they had also, on several occasions, fucked like bunnies the moment they found themselves alone.

"So," she smiles, reaching out to straighten his collar. "What are your_ wishes for the new year?"_

His eyes seem to darken as he stares at her. "Oh, I can think of a few." She smirks at that and it gives him the extra confidence he needs. "You know, they say that whatever you're doing at midnight…it sets the tone for the whole year."

"They say that, huh?"

She's even closer now and he can smell her perfume. He leans forward to whisper in her ear. "I have a room."

She pulls back from him and grins.

"And it has a view."

Veronica doesn't take her eyes off him as she swigs the rest of her champagne and then reaches for his hand. "Let's go."


	5. Chapter 4

_Monday, December 31st, 2012_

"Mm, you have the softest skin," Logan marvels, his large hands rubbing up and down her bare back.

Veronica lifts her head from the pillow to look at him as he continues to caress her, her left eyebrow raised in amusement.

"So do you bathe in the blood of virgins or what?"

"Used to, but they're not as easy to come by now days, so I just use lotion." She rolls over on to her side, clutching the top of the sheet to her body. "Need any more beauty tips?"

Logan smiles at her, his dark eyes happy and relaxed as his fingertips continue to trace patterns against her skin. "I just hope someone doesn't try to make a woman suit out of you."

She laughs softly, twisting again in the bed so she's closer to him. "Really not something you have to worry about."

"I do though, you know," he tells her, resting his head back on his pillow. "Worry about you," he clarifies. "You're safe at work, right?"

"In Omaha?" she snorts.

"Bad things can happen anywhere."

"You really don't have anything to be concerned about," she assures him.

"Is that why you want to transfer? Not enough action for you?"

She sighs. "Not really." Afterglow, Veronica thinks, is best enjoyed in silence. Talking about her job is the ultimate mood killer.

He doesn't press further, much to Veronica's surprise. She glances over at him to find him watching her intently but lovingly, and damn if it doesn't make her feel like she is seventeen again. "I don't have any friends there," she finds herself confessing.

"What?"

"The people I work with," she groans. "I don't get along with anyone. Well, except Carla, but she's kind of my mentor. And her liking me just pisses off everyone else more."

"Since when do you care what other people think about you?"

Veronica shrugs, her lips curled in an adorable pout as she plays with the bed sheet. Truth is, she always_ cared about what people thought about her; she just got really good at hiding it._

"Lonely?" he asks, reaching out to cup her face.

She nods. "But I've been hearing that I could go to New York. That could be pretty exciting, right?"

"Yeah." Exciting is one word for it, and he can think of many others. Big. Scary. Dangerous._ See also: crowded. There's a lot more fish in the New York sea, and it's been a long held fear of Logan's that Veronica would find a male version of herself in the FBI and then that would be that._

Maybe 2013 is the year to go all in so they can finally stop playing this game.

He throws it out there casually. "I'm in New York a lot."

"Oh yeah?" Her thigh brushes against his just then and he smiles.

He flops back onto the bed, closing his eyes as he braces himself. "I miss you, Veronica." There's a long silence until he finds the nerve to finally look at her again. She's staring back at him, a small smile slowly spreading across her face.

"I miss you too." She turns then to check the clock on the nightstand. "And it's almost midnight."

She grabs the remote from her side of the bed and turns on the TV. They both frown at the sight of Ryan Seacrest on the replay of the Time Square countdown, but they don't turn the channel. Thirty seconds until midnight.

"So…this could set the tone for the whole year, huh?"

"That's what they say…"

Ten, nine, eight…__

She grabs the back of his head and pulls him to her, pressing her lips to his. The kiss grows softer as the final seconds of the year slip away, and they remain embraced long past midnight. 

Early March, 2016

Veronica shoves the incriminating photographs back into the manila envelope with a heavy heart. Another day, another marriage on the rocks. If folks in Neptune ever decided to remain monogamous, Veronica would probably be forced to close down shop.

But they keep her busy, these cheating husbands and wives. Keith Mars is still taking care of the seedy side of life in Neptune, and so life in Neptune has been decidedly less seedy as a result. Veronica would like to be able to have a hand in keeping the world safer for her son, but she's happy to take the backseat for once and let her father do the dirty work.

She checks her watch then, not wanting to be late for her lunch date. _Ten to twelve_. Veronica finishes up some last minute work on her desk and then rushes out the door, locking it as she leaves. It's time for her to meet up with her two favorite men.

It's a beautiful day, warm and sunny. She makes her way down the street from her building and smiles when she spots them. Logan is sitting on the stone seating surrounding the large water fountain in the center of town, with baby Keith strapped to his chest in a Baby Bjorn.

"Hey," she grins as she catches up to them. She leans down and kisses the top of Keith's head and then plants a quick peck on Logan's lips before taking a seat next to him.

"Right on time. I love punctuality in a woman." He bounces Keith gently on his lap and the baby smiles happily. He had started to really laugh in the last month, belly giggles that transform both of his parents into tiny puddles of goo. Now they spend most of their time trying to make him laugh more.

"Hey, check this out," Logan tells her, reaching into the black diaper bag at his side. He pulls out a tiny knitted beanie and places it on the baby's head. "I guess this would be his hipster look." He pulls that off of him and replaces it with another from the bag, this one a yellow sun hat. "For sailing, I guess?" Then he takes the last one, a white baseball cap with a cartoon bunny, and puts it on his son. "And this one is just cruel. But," he continues, adjusting the hat, "the uglier the hat, the cuter the baby."

"It's the adorable paradox," Veronica intones cheerfully, taking the cap off of him and ruffling his downy light brown hair. "But why do we have so many ugly hats?"

"Uh, our friends hate us?" he ventures. "But look, they all fit him now."

Veronica remembers how many cute little outfits they received as gifts before the baby was born, and how she thought they were so frighteningly tiny. And then Keith arrived and he was far too small to even fit into them.

He was growing so fast.

"Aw, well he gets his big head from you," she teases, tugging at Keith's little hand. He wraps his fist around her finger and laughs, and Veronica's heart grows three sizes. Between his big bright eyes, chubby little cheeks, and crazy baby hair that always seems to be pointing in ten different directions, he pretty much owns her. Veronica Mars, officially tamed. And by a six month old, no less.

"Ready to head to the café?" she asks, wiggling the finger that Keith still has clasped in his hand. "I'm starved."

"Yeah, you're not the only one. He needs another bottle."

"_Again_?" she sighs. Pumping at work is even less fun than filing, but she's going to have to do it regularly now if she wants to keep up with his ever growing appetite.

"You want to get our food to go and then you can feed him in the office?" Logan asks. Veronica nods in agreement, but feels disappointed. She was actually looking forward to sitting outside in the beautiful weather and enjoying a long, relaxing lunch. But baby comes first and she doesn't begrudge that.

Logan slips his hand into hers and they walk to the new café two blocks from Mars Investigations. After they pick up their lunch (and enjoy all of the compliments on their adorable offspring), they head back to her office. She and Logan chat idly as they walk, their hands still entwined along the way. As they make their way down the hallway to the main entrance, Veronica digs into her messenger bag for her keys.

Logan stops suddenly, halting Veronica behind him. "Are you sure you locked it?" he whispers. Veronica nods, confused, and Logan points at the door, which is slightly ajar. No, she knows she locked it. She's definite.

He holds his finger to his lips, indicating for Veronica to be quite, and they listen for any noise. There seems to be a lot of clattering behind the now open door and the sound of heavy footsteps milling about.

Logan moves to unstrap the Baby Bjorn from his chest, trying not to disturb Keith as he sleeps. "Here, you take him outside and call the cops."

"What are you going to do?" she whispers, wide-eyed and scared. There's not really anything of value in her office, aside from her camera and laptop, and those are easily replaceable. Her husband, not so much.

Logan relents at her look. "Okay, let's go."

Just then the door swings open and Eli Navarro walks out. "Where the hell are those pictures, V?"

"What?" she asks, angry now. "Weevil? What the hell are you doing breaking into my office?"

The yelling wakes baby Keith and he cries softly as he stirs against Logan's chest. Weevil, for the first time, seems to take in the picture before him. Logan hasn't moved an inch since the door opened and he's stiff and scary as he stares Weevil down.

"You are _so_ lucky I've got the baby or you would be fucking dead right now," he growls.

Weevil scoffs, a sardonic smile twisting his mouth as his eyes move from Logan to the baby and then to Veronica. "You know, I heard you were all domesticated now. Guess I just had to see it to believe it." He looks back at Logan and shakes his head. "Still not sure I believe it though."

"What are you doing here?" Veronica asks, ignoring him.

Weevil seems to remember what he was yelling about then and he glances back at Veronica. "The pictures. The ones you took last night of Eva Fernandez. I want them."

"What for?"

"I'm hurt, V. Really." She just continues to stare at him in confusion, so he sighs in annoyance before clarifying, "the pictures you took of her at the Camelot. I was the one with her. What, you didn't recognize me?"

Veronica's face twists in disgust. "You couldn't just find someone on ? Have to break up a marriage?"

"Hey!" Weevil barks, "you don't know nothing about her husband. He beats the hell out of her if his dinner is late. What do you think he's going to do when you show him those photos?"

"Stop. Yelling," Logan orders, his voice low. Keith is settled once more against his chest, trying his best to doze off as Logan bounces him gently.

Weevil's eyebrows shoot up in surprise at the sight before him, but he doesn't say anything. He turns to Veronica expectantly. "Well?"

"He beats her?" she asks, doubt coloring her tone.

"Yes."

"Why should I believe you?"

Weevil rolls his eyes, but he seems stumped. "Why not?"

"Oh please," Logan mutters, and Weevil shoots him a look. "Like you have the best track record," Logan tells him.

"Oh, and you're just the pillar of the community, right? And she _married_ you." He looks back at Veronica then. "What the hell were you thinkin' anyway?"

"Don't," she snaps, her eyes narrowing.

"Just give me those pictures and I'll get the hell out of here."

"He really hits her?" Veronica presses again.

"_Yes_. Look, I've got a good deal about to break with my cousin in LA, and I'm gonna take her with me when I go. But we need to buy some time. Can't you help me out here?"

Veronica sighs but reaches into her messenger bag for the envelope with the photos. "Here," she tells him, handing them over. "If you're leaving with her, you better do it sooner than later."

"Thanks, V. I owe you one." Weevil brushes past Logan on his way out, and Logan's jaw tightens as he stares him down, but no more words pass between the two.

Veronica marches into her office, her already dampened mood souring even further when she takes in the ransacked room.

"Asshole," Logan mumbles, sidestepping an overturned chair. "You're getting an alarm system installed tomorrow."

She doesn't argue as she takes a seat at her desk and covers her face with her hands, exhausted now.

----------

It had been years since Logan had been in a fight, but two days later he comes home with bloody knuckles and a black eye.

"What the hell happened?" Veronica asks, rushing to the freezer to retrieve some ice.

It's almost two in the morning and the baby is sound asleep, tucked into his crib upstairs. Logan was supposed to be home hours ago, promising that he was only going to check up on Dick after not hearing from him at all in the past three weeks.

Logan fumbles with the ice pack before he gives up and throws it into the sink. He leans forward, his elbows resting on the countertop, and he tries to calm himself. "He's in really bad shape, Veronica," he whispers, his voice breaking.

"Oh, Logan." She comes up behind him and rests her hands on his shoulders. "He's not your cross to bear."

"He's my best friend."

She wonders when Dick Casablancas could last be labeled as anything other than an alcoholic wreck, let alone anyone's friend. He never showed at the wedding in July, and Veronica knows that that hurt Logan far more than he let on. But he kept supporting him, paying for an apartment in Los Angeles and sending cash once a week. Logan claimed that he was just being a good friend, but Veronica knew there was more to it. Dick is what Logan could have become if he hadn't chosen a different path.

"He was high as a fucking kite when I got there," he tells her quietly. "I don't know what he's on, but he got pissed at me for showing up and he came after me."

"He just needs some time," Veronica tells him, running a soothing hand up and down the middle of Logan's back. Dick's father was killed the year before, shot by one of the many people he had taken for a ride before jetting off to the Cayman Islands all those years ago. Dick didn't take it well.

"And then on the way home I got into it with Avi over the phone," Logan continues. "I wanted him to check out some rehab facilities for Dick and he started lecturing me about wasting my money." He glances over at Veronica and sighs. "Now I need a new accountant."

"I'll take care of it," Veronica promises. "Just go upstairs and change. Then I'll bandage up your hand."

Logan stands up, straightening his body with a groan of pain. He uses his uninjured hand to touch Veronica, the back of his fingers trailing down along her jaw line. "You know I love you, right?"

She smiles softly and stretches on her tiptoes to kiss him. "I know."

----------

The next afternoon at Mars Investigations, Veronica is running a few background checks for a client. While she doesn't look back fondly at her time with the FBI, she is definitely appreciative of some of the new tricks she learned and hidden accesses she still kept despite her departure. It certainly makes work easier at times.

The phone rings then and Veronica grabs for it, her eyes still on her computer screen as she reads down a list of criminal offenses. "Hello?"

"Veronica? It's John. How are you?"

John is Keith's accountant and a trusted family friend. Veronica had contacted him earlier in the morning regarding Logan's finances. He had helped him out back in college, too, when Logan had suspected Avi Kaufman of stealing from his trust.

"John! Hi! I'm good, thanks. How have you been?"

"Oh, I'm doing all right. I just have a few questions about some of Logan's records for you, if that's okay?"

"Sure, yeah. I don't know how much help I'll be though. Did you want to call him? He's at home with the baby."

"No, no, that's fine. I'd rather just talk to you."

"Okay," Veronica tells him, unsure of what he could want from her.

"Now, to be honest, I'm not sure how much help I can be with Logan now. Someone in his position is a full time job, and not just for one accountant but several."

"I understand. He's got a lot of investments-"

"It's not just the investments, Veronica. Logan is probably one of the wealthiest men in California. There's a lot of work involved."

Well, _that_ comment takes her by surprise. She knew Logan did pretty well for himself, but they never discussed actual numbers.

"Um, okay. Is that a problem.?"

"Well, yes. For me, anyway. I just couldn't do it all by myself. You need a team of accountants to deal with someone of such wealth."

"Do you have any friends who could work with you? I really want someone I can trust and I trust you and your judgment."

"I appreciate that," he tells her sincerely. "And I do have others in mind. This _could_ work, but I just want to make sure that everything is on the up and up."

"Meaning?" Veronica leads, turning back to her computer to finish up the background check.

"I know you're married to him Veronica, but I've known you since you were a baby. So I'd really appreciate honesty here."

Veronica looks over at the pile of paper work she has sitting on her desk waiting for her and she rolls her eyes. Any day now, John, she thinks. You can get to your point any day now.

"Of course."

"I'm five years away from retirement and I won't risk that for anything. I just can't. And if Logan is doing anything illegal-"

"Illegal?" Veronica asks, interrupting him. "Whoa, wait. What you talking about?"

"Now, don't get upset. I'm not accusing him of anything, I just need to be sure. I've looked over his tax records and everything seems in order-"

"Then what's the problem?" she snaps, her patience wearing thin.

"Well I thought it would be easiest for me to start at the beginning, so I looked back at the records for when his trust fund was first released to him, just about seven years ago."

"Okay."

"And, well, he didn't have too much to begin with. At least not compared to what he has now. He was set to receive just shy of ten million."

Chump change, Veronica thinks sarcastically. But he's right, she realizes. That doesn't sound like much when she thinks about how much money Aaron had. Aaron Echolls was one of the top movie stars for many years, and he made dozens and dozens of films at millions of dollars a pop. Even after splitting his inheritance with Trina, Veronica would have expected there to be more.

"That doesn't seem right," she admits.

"That's not really the issue. You might not know this because it was kept pretty quiet, but following Aaron Echolls's death, the Kane family won a substantial amount of money in a civil suit, so there wasn't as much left over for Aaron's children. They couldn't touch Logan's trust fund, but anything else he was set to inherent either went to Aaron's legal fees or to the Kanes."

"Okay," Veronica asks, confused again. "Then what _is_ the issue?"

"I can't find any record of what happened to eight million dollars that Logan withdrew the day of his 21st birthday."

"He invested it," Veronica tells him, trying to sound more sure than she is.

"No, I don't think so. There are records of the money he invested and all of his returns. This money just seemed to have disappeared. Now his trust was taxed prior to being released to him, so that's not the issue. It's just that when large sums of money seem to disappear-"

"Maybe he keeps it in a sock under his bed, for all I know," Veronica tells him.

John laughs. "Maybe. Please don't be insulted though, Veronica. I just need to make sure that this is all kosher. I've got a lot at stake, too, in this. But if you trust him, I'll take your word."

When Logan was 21…that would have been junior year at Hearst. They weren't exactly BFF back then, but Logan seemed to have his act together. Still, she couldn't be sure of what he was doing then.

"I trust him, John."

"Okay then. I'll talk with some other accountants I know and see about taking over everything. Have a good day Veronica."

"You too. Thanks."

Veronica hangs up the phone then and stares at her computer screen, her work momentarily forgotten.

----------

That evening, just after six, a weary Veronica walks through the front door of the home she shares with Logan and the baby.

Little Keith is napping, and Logan is sitting at the kitchen table looking over some documents. He's wearing the reading glasses that he was prescribed the year before and Veronica still teases him about.

"Hello, dear. How was your day?" he asks when she enters the room. He looks up from his papers and the sight of his bruised and battered face is almost enough to make Veronica grimace.

"Same old, same old," she tells him, moving toward the coffee pot. Veronica stops when she feels the bottom of her shoes sticking to the floor. She lifts her left foot and hears the heel of her pumps peel away from the ceramic tile, and she turns to look at Logan, bewildered.

"And he mops, too!" he boasts proudly, waving his arm in front of himself with a flourish.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you that you have to dilute the cleaner?" she groans, stumbling toward her precious caffeine.

"Yeah, I was wondering what happened. Have to be honest, babe, manual labor's not really my thing."

"I'll clean it later," she says, annoyed. She grabs for her favorite coffee mug, the F.B.I- Female Body Inspector one that Mac gave her years ago as a joke, and pours some cream into it.

"What happened today? You look exhausted?"

"New client. A woman thinks her husband is cheating on her," she tells him, moving to take a seat across from him, her shoes squeaking along the way.

"What a change of pace for you," he replies, leafing through his papers once again.

"But get this- her husband is a magician. She thinks he's screwing around with his assistant but she can't prove it because he's just so darn crafty."

"Huh," he adds placatingly, his attention more focused on whatever it is he's reading.

"Yeah. And to save me the trouble of having to tail him for pictures, I just hired him to perform at your birthday party in two weeks," she mentions casually before taking a sip of her coffee.

That gets his attention. "What?" he asks, looking up now. "What birthday party?"

"Surprise!"

"Cancel it."

"No."

"I don't celebrate my birthday," he reminds her.

"And I love that about you. But I really don't feel like spending the next few months following this guy everywhere. Maybe I can catch them at the party and it'll save me the trouble."

"Yeah, but what are the odds of that happening? And besides, magicians are more of a thirtieth birthday type thing. Twenty-eight just screams _clown_."

"Too late, I already booked him and started inviting people. 'Marco the Magnificent' is a done deal."

"Fine," he huffs like an irritated teenage girl.

Veronica looks down at her coffee, swirling her spoon in the liquid as she tries to think of the best way to approach the next subject. "I, uh, talked to John today about taking over for Avi."

"Oh yeah? Will he do it?"

"Yeah, I think so," she nods, still playing with her drink. "He wanted to know about something though."

"What's that?" Logan asks, finally putting the papers down to give Veronica his undivided attention.

"What happened to the eight million dollars you withdrew on your 21st birthday?" she asks, blunt as possible.

Logan can tell by her tone that the question is more for her benefit than for John's. He rolls his eyes, grabbing at a nearby folder and stuffing the contract he was looking through inside of it. "It's gone."

"Eight million dollars? Just…gone?" she asks disbelievingly.

"Yeah. Can we drop this?"

"What happened to it?" She tries not to sound like she's badgering him, but the curiosity has gotten the best of her already.

"I lost it, okay?"

"How do you lose eight million dollars?"

He nervously shifts around the different folders and papers in front of him, his eyes focused on those and not on Veronica. "Vegas," he admits after a few moments. "I had a big 21st birthday party in Vegas and I lost it all."

Veronica's mouth snaps shut at that revelation, her jaw tight with anger. "You blew through 80 percent of your money in Vegas?"

"I fucked up," he tells her defensively.

"That's one hell of an expensive fuckup," she yells, the anger over his sheer irresponsibility getting the best of her.

"Look, it was a long time ago and I messed up. I would never do anything like that again. Can we just forget about this?"

She looks around at their kitchen, down at the table top, over past Logan's shoulder…at anywhere but him, feeling exhausted and dazed and annoyed and resigned. "Fine. Whatever. It's done."

"Veronica-"

"Just forget it," she tells him, waving him off with her hand as she stands from the chair. "I'm going to go check on the baby."

Logan sighs, frustrated, as he watches her leave the room.

----------

The next month, all seems to be forgotten. It takes Veronica awhile to get over it, but in the end, even she can't justify being angry at Logan for what he spent his own money on almost seven years ago. It's just not worth the energy she'd have to expend on the cold shoulders, icy glares and frosty environment. Maybe there was a time when Veronica almost _liked_ being pissed off, but that time had passed. They were married now. They had a baby. _Suck it up, Mars. Suck it up and get over it,_ she tells herself.

Saturday is always a good day for them. On this particular Saturday she plans on giving Logan a break and catching up on some quality time with her son.

So she wakes up with Keith at 4:30 in the morning when his cries break through over the baby monitor, jostling her from her glorious sleep. She pulls Logan back down into the bed when he sits up, eyes still closed, at the sound of his cry.

She's not sure how much longer she's going to keep breastfeeding, but she doesn't plan on stopping anytime soon. She remembers how much she hated it at first, absolutely detested everything about it and how damn hard it was when it was supposed to be _natural_, but now she actually enjoys it. Logan spends all day with Keith while she's at the office, but this is _her_ time with him.

After she settles in the rocking chair in the corner of the nursery, she positions the baby against her chest and allows herself to relax when he latches on. She stares down at him and he stares up at her and in that moment everything is right.

Veronica likes to hold his tiny hand in her own as she rocks, her thumb rubbing against his soft, soft skin. She sings to him, too, whatever song was stuck in her head at any time that day, be it a Top 40 hit or a jingle from a commercial. He never seems to mind which.

When he's finished and after he falls back asleep, Veronica puts him down in his crib and goes back to bed, where she cuddles against Logan until morning.

He wakes up first and rouses her from sleep with a kiss. She sneaks into the baby's room to check on him and finds him fast asleep. So, with the baby monitor set at its highest volume and resting on the bathroom countertop, Logan pulls Veronica into the shower with him. Her hair is barely wet before he lifts her, her legs wrapping around his waist, and presses her back against the tile.

It's a long morning. They shower and change and then the baby is up, and after he's fed, Logan gives him a bath as Veronica makes her weekly call to Mac. When they're all ready, she straps Keith in his car seat and they drive to the café near her office, which is quickly becoming one of their favorite spots. They have brunch outside and enjoy the beautiful weather that Veronica still relishes after spending almost two years in New York.

They get home after one, surprised to see Keith Mars's cruiser as they pull into the driveway. He's waiting for them at the front door and Veronica smiles brightly when she sees him. "Is there a problem, Sheriff?" she asks jokingly, his namesake in her arms.

He grins at the sight of his grandson, but the smile doesn't reach his eyes. "Hi, honey," he tells her. He waves at Logan who is unloading the car but still manages to wave back.

They make their way to the kitchen table once they're all inside. "Veronica, do you know a Camille DeCaro?" Keith asks once they sit.

"Yeah, I just finished up a case for her. Why?"

Camille DeCaro is the wife to one Mark "Marco the Magnificent" DeCaro, the magician who helped them throw one hell of a party.

"What kind of case?" Keith asks.

"Adultery," Veronica tells him as she pulls her hair out of baby Keith's fist, gently admonishing him for his painful tugs. "Why?"

"What happened with that?"

"He's a magician, she thought he was cheating with his assistant. He was. Not the one she thought he was with, but her twin sister who he used in more elaborate acts."

"You caught them?"

"Yeah. It took awhile, but once I figured out about the twin, it was easier to catch them by tracking her."

"And did you tell Camille about this?"

"Yeah. Yesterday," Veronica tells him, the realization that something must be wrong slowly dawning on her. "Why? What happened?"

"Veronica," Keith says softly, "Camille and Mark were found dead this morning in their home. It looks like a murder/suicide."


	6. Chapter 5

_After Liam leaves his office, Keith Mars's already faltering façade crumbles completely and he finds himself breaking down. He rests his head in his hands, his fingertips digging painfully into his scalp, and closes his eyes in concentration. After about five minutes of stillness, he suddenly jumps up from his chair and rushes into his office, where he pulls his handgun from the bottom left drawer of his desk._

He doesn't think he can possibly get away with it; he'll either end up in prison or with a matching bullet wound of his own. But what other choice does he have? Veronica has a bounty on her now thanks to her father's stupidity and Keith has no way to pay.

He weighs the piece in his palm, the cold metal burning his skin. Even if he were to do it somehow, it couldn't possibly assure Veronica's safety. Not with a clan like the Fitzpatricks. Take one out and three more seemed to pop up in his place, the organized crime equivalent to weeds.

Two million dollars. Even if Keith added up every cent he's ever earned, from his paper route as a kid to the largest payoff as a P.I, he wouldn't come close to that amount. He doesn't even know_ anyone with that much money._

Or does he? He puts the gun back in its place and reaches for the phone.

"John? It's Keith. Hey, do you remember when you looked through Logan Echolls's financial records a couple of years ago?"  


The day after her father shows up with the news about the DeCaros, Veronica wakes up early and drives to her office, where she sits at her desk and stares off into space.

She pictures Camille in the chair across from her, just as she was the day before yesterday, and she tries to imagine how she missed it. How did Veronica, with all of her years of experience, not see Camille for what she was? How does she keep _missing_ it?

The DeCaro case wasn't simply an act of passion. No, the details of the murder, which her father tried his best to shield her from, all pointed to a carefully crafted and fully premeditated crime. Camille had simply been waiting for the confirmation that would set her off.

Veronica still can't bear to think about what exactly Camille did to someone she once claimed to love, to someone with whom she shared a child.

And that was probably the very hardest part. A fourteen-year-old girl was now without a mother and father and would have to live the rest of her life with the knowledge of how that happened.

Veronica sighs in discontent as she looks around her office. Her desk and walls are covered with framed pictures of Logan and the baby, pictures she often took as she snuck in after a late night stakeout to find them asleep on the couch, the baby nestled comfortably against Logan's chest as they both slept. Photos like those, which were often saved between pictures of midnight dalliances of the unfaithful, used to comfort her, used remind her that there was good and innocent in the world no matter what case she was working. Now they just seem to make her feel guilty. She can only imagine how the photos have made her clients feel.

The office is quiet, and although she often seeks silence, at the moment it just seems to be too much. She doesn't want to be alone with her thoughts but she doesn't want to be with anyone else either. Logan and her father have been trying to give her space, but now she doesn't want that. But she doesn't want to be with them. Frustrated with herself and her thoughts, Veronica rests her head against her desk. She doesn't want to push her dad or Logan away, but neither of them know how to be there for her in exactly the way she needs- just _being_, without question or comment. She only ever had one friend who could really offer her that, and Veronica had severed those bonds of friendship years ago…

_Veronica looks over her weekend assignment for her art history class while she waits for Wallace in the food court. Their pizza is sitting right in front of her, teasing her with its deliciousness while it grows cold, but she's willing to give him a few more minutes before she tears into it herself._

After those said few minutes, she peers up from her book and looks over at the pizza again. He really should know better by now then to try and come between her and her food. Her watch tells her that it's almost half past eleven, and that makes dear Wallace almost fifteen minutes late. That's fifteen minutes more then she'd give anyone else. Defeated by her hunger, she slams shut her textbook and grabs a slice.

Her pizza doesn't seem to taste as good after she spots Logan having an intense conversation with a beautiful blonde across the room. He doesn't seem to notice Veronica at all, and usually he can always pick her out of a crowd long enough to at least grace her with a tight-lipped smile. But all of his attention now seems to be diverted to this girl, who is tall and elegant and wearing expensive clothes. Veronica scowls when she spots them but she recovers quickly. It's not like it's the first time she's seen Logan with another girl, and she doubts it will be the last. Besides, he seems pretty focused on school right now and so he's hardly up for a serious relationship. Not that she should care anyway.

"Don't mind her, she kind of gets lost in her own head sometimes."

Veronica looks up to see Wallace smiling down at her, his own beautiful girl standing at his side. So it was going to be one of those days, huh?

"You're late," she tells him sternly, discarding her pizza crust on a paper plate in front of her.

Wallace seems to notice for the first time then that she started on lunch without him. "Hey!"

She shrugs, wiping her hands on a napkin. "You know the rules, Fennel."

Wallace ignores her, instead turning his attention to the beautiful girl. "Natalie, this is Veronica. Veronica, Natalie."

Ah, Natalie. Oh yes, Veronica has heard of her before. Her little Wallace had been carrying the proverbial torch since the previous semester when the two had shared a calculus class. And while she still doesn't swing that way, in spite of her current dry spell, Veronica has to say that she can see why he is so smitten. Natalie's a gorgeous girl, with flawless cocoa skin and long, shiny dark hair. Her eyes are as bright as her smile, which somehow puts Veronica at ease.

"Hi, Veronica!" she grins, extending her hand. "I've heard a lot about you."

"And I've…ah," she grunts as Wallace kicks her from under the table, "I, um, am happy to meet you." She points at the pizza before them. "Join us for lunch?"  


Natalie would join them for lunch often over the next few months, and Veronica could tell that Wallace was falling hard for her, his innocent crush evolving into genuine feelings. But still Natalie and Wallace remained firmly in the 'just friends' zone.

And Veronica had thought that that was where it would stay. Until he called her that summer to tell her the news. She was working her final internship with the FBI in Virginia before the start of senior year when he dropped the bomb that he was going to be a father.

Shocked didn't quite cover how she felt then. If things had changed in his relationship with Natalie while Veronica was out of state for a couple of months, it wasn't something he had mentioned. And considering how much he seemed to care about her, Veronica didn't think that was something he could keep to himself, even if he had wanted to.

Veronica could have sworn that there was another guy in the picture, anyway. He was the reason that Natalie always seemed oblivious to Wallace's feelings for her. But suddenly she was supposed to believe that not only were Natalie and Wallace together-together, they were also expecting a baby?

When she got back home at the beginning of August, Natalie was already showing. Veronica knew that Wallace was watching her with a cautious eye, and when she tried to confront him about everything, he told her, rather firmly, to drop it.

Dropping it, especially when it came to the people she cared about, was something she just could never do…

_  
"I thought you would want to know. Wallace shouldn't have to give up everything he's worked so hard for."_

Alicia Fennel shakes her head. "No, he shouldn't."

"And if Natalie is the kind of girl who would do something like this-"

They both hear the front door slam then. With Darryl away at basketball camp, it can only mean that Wallace is home early from his summer job at a local engineering firm.

"Hey," he calls out casually as he walks into the kitchen. He stops suddenly when he spots Veronica sitting across from his mother at their dinner table. "What's going on?"

"Wallace, you are getting a paternity test and you are getting one now_," his mother informs him firmly._

Wallace's eyes darken with anger as he stares down Veronica. "What are you doing here?"

Well she sure as hell isn't going to just sit by while her BFF with the heart of gold gets taken for a ride at the cost of his entire future. Veronica had done her fair share of investigating Natalie when she got back into town, and she'd found out that Natalie and her boyfriend were together until the middle of June. Maybe he doesn't want to take responsibility for his kid, but that doesn't give Natalie any right to try and saddle Wallace with it.

Veronica has a pretty clear idea of how it all happened. Natalie probably seduced Wallace right after she was dumped and then somehow convinced him soon after that he knocked her up, and Wallace being…Wallace, believed every word and promised to take care of her and the baby.

Wallace shakes his head, a sneer of disgust on his face as he looks over at his best friend. "I told you to stay out of it."

"Wallace-" Veronica begins in explanation, only to be cut off again.

"I don't need a paternity test," he tells his mother. "I know the baby's not mine."

This shuts up both Alicia and Veronica, who look at him in shock.

"What?" Wallace asks, looking at them. "You think I'm stupid or something?"

"What the hell_ are you thinking, Wallace?" Alicia asks him. "You want to raise someone else's baby? You're twenty one years old!"_

"Right!" he barks back. "I'm 21! I'm not a child, no matter what my mom or my best friend thinks!"

"You've worked so hard in school and you're going to give all of that up?" Veronica asks.

"Give what up? I don't have to give anything up. I'm graduating. You know that!"

"What about after college? What if you decide you want to go to grad school?" his mother asks.

"Then I'll go. Natalie's parents are going to help her out. But I'm going to be there for her and this baby. I love her."

"You have no business raising another man's child!" Alicia barks through clenched teeth.

He regards his mother with exasperation. "Weren't you the one who told me that Hank was my dad, no matter what? And you were right. My father gave me his name and raised me, and that's what I'm going to do for this baby," Wallace tells her. He turns his attention back to Veronica then. "And you? I can't believe you'd go to my mom behind my back. I asked_ you to leave everything alone."_

"What did you expect?" she asks defensively. "If I think someone is trying to take advantage of you, I'm not going to stand by."

"So not only do you assume the worst of Natalie, but you think I'm stupid?"

Veronica opens her mouth to explain but Wallace isn't having it, and he raises his hand to stop her. "No, don't. We're done here," he grits before storming out of the room.  


Maybe they could have salvaged a relationship if Veronica had sucked it up and pursued it, but she just held back, always waiting for him to make the first move. She'd see him on campus and the guilt would almost be too much. Wallace had taken electric shocks for her and never asked anything in return, and she paid him back by treating his kind heart as a mental handicap, as if someone couldn't be a good person without having to be blissfully obtuse as well. And then there was Natalie, who always seemed like such a sweet, good person, who had never been anything but nice to her… God, what made her always assume the very worst in people even when she didn't even have a reason to believe it? And then when she _should_ be suspicious…

Veronica feels tired just thinking about all of this again. Losing Wallace still hurts.

------------

She gets home later that morning, the eerie silence of her office having become unbearable to her.

She finds Logan upstairs in the nursery, having just fed the baby and now putting him down for a nap. Her emotions are getting the best of her, and it's something she's peripherally aware of but still helpless to stop. When she sees him leaning over the crib, she's jealous. She's jealous of him for being so good with the baby. She's jealous of the baby for completely besotting Logan in a way she never could. Hell, she pretty much feels jealous of anyone and everything that's not her right now. She knows she's wallowing in self-pity, and she even knows that she's being irrational. But in this moment she doesn't care. She feels like a failure, and that is a feeling that Veronica never could handle.

"How are you doing?" he asks softly when he turns to find her watching him.

She shrugs. "Same, I guess."

"You hungry?" he asks, moving past her and out into the hallway. "I can make you some breakfast."

She rolls her eyes as he walks ahead of her, annoyed by his earnestness and unwavering ability to try and be there for her all the fucking time. "No thanks," she grunts.

His shoulders slump forward in resignation. Her shortness with him is a sure sign that there's a fight, a big one, brewing ahead. "Well let's at least go down to the kitchen before you start chewing my ass out, okay?"

When they reach the downstairs, a safe yelling distance from the baby, he turns to her. "What's wrong, Veronica?"

She looks at him incredulously. "You _know_ what's wrong."

He sighs. "I know, but I mean…why are you pissed at me?"

"Can we not do this now?" she asks, storming past him and into the large living room.

"Is there a better time to do it?" he returns, following her.

"I'm just…I'm having a rough time right now."

"And I've been trying to do whatever it is I think you want me to do," he tells her, taking a seat on the couch. "I think you want space so I leave you alone, and then when I finally try and talk to you, you bite my head off for no reason."

"Just…stop, okay?"

"No! We're too old to be doing this passive aggressive shit, Veronica. Talk to me."

Veronica shakes her head, amazed. "Wow, we're really all grownup now, huh?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asks, taken aback.

"Everything's just so easy for you, right? You got to be the perfect businessman, and now you're trying to be the perfect father and husband…"

Logan chuckles, his mood quickly darkening. "And things were so much easier for you when I was a fuckup, right? You got to always be right and I was just the asshole you barely tolerated."

Veronica folds her arms defensively in front of her chest and scoffs, the tip of her tongue pressed against the back of her teeth. "Yeah, you're right. That's exactly it."

"Maybe it is. You sure as hell don't seem to appreciate anything I do now."

She shakes her head, still angry. "You know that's not true."

"Do I?" he counters.

She was a fool to ever think that any of this could work out, she thinks. She knew that things never went well for long, but she still went all in. Now it was all falling apart and she had more on the line than ever before.

Suddenly everything hits at once: her insecurities about being a mother, a wife, a goddamn _investigator_. Her history alone should have been telling. What business does she have in this line of work when she couldn't even tell that the boy who she asked point blank about raping her was lying through his teeth? Beaver, Aaron, Mercer…Veronica was always just a little too late.

But it's all she has. It's who she is. She doesn't know what she would do if she didn't work. Logan might seem to have the father thing down pat, but Veronica still thinks of herself as a fulltime detective and part-time mother.

"I just can't do this anymore," she tells him sadly, reconciled to her fate. "We can't just keep playing house."

Logan shakes his head in frustration. "Look around, Veronica! We're not playing!" The fight seems to seep out of him then, leaving him weary and weak, and he falls back against the couch. "I'm scared, too, you know. Every day."

"_Why_?" she asks, genuinely confused at how he could still feel that way after how well he's been doing.

Logan shakes his head. "Sometimes I look at him," he tells her, his hand out, palm up. "And I think, I could never, ever hurt him. And then I wonder if my dad ever looked at me and thought the same thing."

"You're great with him," she says. "It's like you're great at everything now. And I'm just...I was an awful FBI agent, and I'm not even a good PI. I can't do anything."

"Come on, Veronica, you _know_ that's not true. And you're great with Keith, too."

She settles in a nearby armchair and rests her head in her hands. "I need some time, Logan."

"What does that mean?" he sighs.

"I just really need to be alone right now."

Logan is about to argue but finds he doesn't even have the energy. He leans forward in his seat, his hands clasped together as he rests his elbows on his knees. "Fine. I'll take Keith and stay at a hotel for a couple of days."

She sits straight up in the chair, alarmed. "No! I'm not…I'm not running out on him," she reasons, more to herself than to Logan. _I'm not like my mother. I'm not._

"So what, you want me to?" he asks, disgusted.

She doesn't answer, just continues to sit there, tight-lipped. Logan regards her for a few minutes before his frustration gets the best of him and he leaps from his seat. "I'll call you in a few hours," he says over his shoulder as he storms out. Veronica closes her eyes at the sound of the door slamming behind him.

------------

_It's a brand new school year and Logan Echolls is a brand new man. He's going to start sophomore year off right, he vows. He'll keep atop his assignments, attend every single lecture, ace every single test. A model student. He'll sit at the front of the class with perfect posture, his number two pencil sharpened and ready to go._

The first class is one for his maybe major: Business. He gets there a couple of minutes early and scouts for a desk up front but then decides that the middle section is a safer bet. Ease into it, he thinks.

The professor seems to be taking his sweet time so Logan takes the opportunity to pull out his phone and scroll through some texts from Dick, who is already bitching about the school year. He's in the middle of replying to one of the more coherent messages when he feels something kick the back of his chair.

He turns in his seat, annoyed, and finds that asshat behind Veronica's tape staring at him, a feral grin on his face.

Ignoring him, Logan turns away and goes back to his phone.

"You really must have a death wish," Gory whispers from behind him. "You better fucking learn to respect me."

"Get bent," Logan tells him, texting away.

"I'm watching you, Echolls."

Logan turns back to him then, grinning bashfully. "You're not really my type, but the attention is nice, regardless."

------------

When the professor decides to show, he seems to run a pretty tight ship. Logan is able to ignore Gory for the most part, even though he knows the dude spends a majority of his time fixated on the back of his head.

But a couple of weeks later, when the prof calls for the class to pair off for a group project, Gory settles in right next to Logan and smiles.

"I'm flattered. Really," Logan tells him.

Gory nods along. "So how's that little cocksucker you're so fond of?" he asks. "I haven't seen you two together lately."

Logan's jaw clenches in anger and he grips his pencil tightly. It really was a great moment for him, he reminisces, remembering the feel of Gory's skin tearing beneath his knuckles. A repeat performance would do the body good.

"Veronica turn you down for a date again?" he asks him. "I'll tell you, that girl and her standards."

"Trust me, if I wanted her, I could have her."

"Whatever you say, man," Logan replies, erasing part of his notes and then brushing away the residue from his notebook.

"Don't fuck with me, Echolls," he tells him, his voice low. "I'm not going away and I'm not going to forget." He leaves with that, finding one of his pathetic lackeys to partner up with instead, and Logan is surprised to find that he feels relieved.

------------

The next semester and Gory is in his marketing class, sitting two rows behind him. Logan turns and waves before taking his seat.

------------

Junior year starts off innocuously enough. The second day of classes, Logan finds himself sitting beside Gory in linear algebra.

"This crush just isn't going away, is it?" he asks him.

"You really should be more afraid of me."

Logan knows this game. He's trying to draw it all out, like a fucking cat playing with its meal. Yet Logan's no mouse, and as far as he can tell, Gory Sorokin is every bit a pussy. He doesn't really buy for a second that he's actually planning anything more than jumping him in the parking lot and simply returning the favor. Connected-connected or not, he's not going to let the guy string him along. That was Aaron's favorite part of the game and Logan doesn't play anymore.

------------

The first day of the spring semester and Logan has an ethics class, of all ironies. He's no longer surprised when Gory shows up in the same lecture hall. He's not alone this time, though, as he's pulling a tall blonde behind him, her hand tightly wrapped in his. Logan watches, sickened, as she follows him submissively and plops down in the chair he points to.

"Hey, Echolls?" he calls out from his spot a row back. Logan ignores him. "Echolls?" he repeats, agitated and kicking the chair.

"Moi?" Logan asks with a smirk, turning in his seat and pointing to himself.

"Last semester, man," he tells him. "I graduate in May."

"I'll try to pick up the pieces and go on," Logan snarks, and Gory's smile widens.

"Trust me, there won't be any pieces to pick up. Not this time, anyway."

------------

If he was slacking before, he's making up for it now. Logan seems to have all of Gory's attention.

"I don't know why I'm bothering with this class," he whispers to Logan a couple of days later. "I'm just going into the family business after graduation."

Logan rolls his eyes.

------------

The next class period, Logan finds a newspaper sitting on top of his desk, a headline about some middle-aged guy going missing in San Diego highlighted in yellow. He throws the paper away without looking back.

------------

He spots the girlfriend…he thinks her name is Miranda, in the food court the next day, surprisingly alone. He'd been watching Veronica, her nose in a book despite her pizza, when he spotted the tall blonde who usually seemed to be attached to Gory's hip.

"I have to ask," he begins, approaching her from the side. "What the hell are you doing with him?"

She ignores him just as she ignores the salad in front of her.

"Ever think of dating someone more your league?" he asks. Still, she ignores him. "And by your league, I mean someone who walks erect?"

She looks up then and smiles, her perfect porcelain veneers blindingly white. "He's not so bad."

He looks down at the books stacked in front of her: biochemistry, advanced statistics, microbiology. Such a heavy workload but he can't picture her future as anything more than a broken woman with a scowl on her face and a highball in her hand.

"You could do better," he tells her, tapping the top of her books.

"You offering?" she returns, smiling again.

He grins down at her before turning on his heel to leave. "Study hard," he calls out over his shoulder.

"Always do."

------------

The next day Logan gets a delivery box sent to him at the Grand. He wishes it were just another newspaper clipping.

Keith calls him an hour later.  


"Veronica?"

She sighs and cuddles the baby closer to her body. Logan hadn't been gone for even three hours yet and her father was already pounding at her door.

"Come on, Veronica! Open up!"

She sits Keith up in his playpen and hands him a couple of stuffed animals before she rushes to the front door.

"What?" she asks, exhausted, as it swings open to reveal her father standing on the other side.

"You threw Logan out?" he asks, obviously pissed off at her.

"I can't believe he called you," she scoffs. .

"He didn't," he returns, brushing past her to enter the house. "I called him to check up on you. What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"I just need some time."

"I did _not_ raise you to run away from your family like this, Veronica."

She stares at him, her mouth open in surprise. "I'm not running away from my family! Keith's with me!"

Her father glowers at her, frustrated by her insensitivity. "You're married now, and that was _your_ decision. You can't throw in the towel the second things get hard."

"I'm _not_!" she argues petulantly.

"Do you know how upset he is?"

"Can you please just stop?"

Keith exhales as he collects himself, and once he does, he glances into the living room and spots the playpen, where his grandson is babbling away happily to himself and the stuffed tiger in front of him.

"You can't do this, Veronica," he tells her, calmer now. "I know you think that you just need a little bit of time, but when you leave or you make Logan leave, even if you rationalize it…that does damage you can't even begin to understand."

Twenty-eight years-old and her father can still make her feel like a little girl when he yells at her. She can feel the start of her tears and she tries desperately to rein them in. "I just…I _need some time_," she repeats again.

"Honey," he tells her, grabbing her hand and pulling her into the living room. "You can't blame yourself for what happened."

How many times did she have to hear this? Why couldn't anyone understand? "But I _do_!" she tries to explain. "I should have known that there was something wrong with Camille. I should have seen that something was wrong."

Keith shakes his head as he takes a seat in a chair next to the playpen. "A long time ago, back when you were just starting college, something like this happened to me. I misjudged someone and someone else died because of it, and I'll never get over that."

Veronica is quiet as she mulls over his words. "Someone died?"

"Yeah," he sighs, debating on whether or not he should just tell her everything. "Kendall Casablancas," he adds, decided.

She looks up at him in shock but waits for him to continue.

So he tells her it all, everything from why he was late for their trip to New York and what he did in that time, to dropping off the painting at the museum and donating all of the proceeds to the food bank. And, albeit reluctantly, he chooses to tell her about Liam's threat.

"I went to Logan," he confesses, finally. "I made him promise to never tell you, and he never did. And he never threw it back in my face, either."

She's still processing it all as she shakes her head in confusion, and suddenly something seems to click. "How much did Liam want?"

"Two million. Logan paid him off with two million, and then Liam left town and we haven't heard from him since."

_Two_ million? It wasn't adding up, in more ways than one.

"I really screwed up then. Not only did Kendall die, but you were almost killed, too. I'll never be able to forgive myself for that.

"But what I did can't compare to what happened with you, sweetie. I had every reason to be suspicious of Cormac and I ignored it. I was too preoccupied with the money Kendall was paying me. But you didn't have any reason to suspect that Camille would react the way she did."

Veronica nods along but remains unconvinced. She's about to say something else to her father when her cell rings.

"It's Logan," she tells him, staring at the caller ID. She gets up from her seat and moves away to answer it. "Hey."

"I'm not going the entire night without seeing him, Veronica. I haven't been away from him for this long since he was born."

"Logan-"

"If you don't want to see me, fine. But you can't keep me from him."

"Okay, okay," she finally relents. "Where are you?"

When she comes back into the room, Keith is holding his grandson, playfully bouncing him in his lap and smiling proudly as he laughs.

"Dad, could you do me a favor and drop the baby off with Logan? He's at the Neptune Grand."

He fixes her with a withering look that makes her feel about an inch tall. "I'm just going to take a nap and then I'll go over there myself later," she informs him.

"Okay," he agrees reluctantly, gathering the baby and his things. The Neptune Grand. It seems strange to him that, after finally admitting everything to Veronica just moments before, he would be going back there again to meet Logan. More than seven years ago, he had done the same thing in order to payoff Liam…

------------

_Logan had petitioned for his trust fund to be released to him about 3 months early, but he was denied. Luckily for them though, Liam is far more interested in money than revenge, and so he is willing to wait._

He agrees to meet with Logan and Keith in Logan's suite at the Grand. They hash out the fine print of the deal there. Two million in cash and Liam will consider Keith Mars even. The money is to be brought to him the day Logan turns twenty one.

As Keith and Liam are both preparing to leave, Logan asks Keith to give him some time alone to talk to Liam. Keith stares at him in warning but ultimately finds himself unable to deny Logan, to whom he's now in debt to the tune of two million dollars.

"You better make this quick, because I'm not exactly feeling charitable right now," Liam tells him after Keith leaves.

"How much money did Kendall have?" Logan asks him bluntly.

Liam's eyes narrow as he tries to size up the kid in front of him. "What the hell kind of business is that of yours?"

"Maybe I'm just trying to work out another deal," he replies, all false bravado.

Liam's lips curl into a smile as he stares back at him. "She got almost eight million from that Phoenix Land Trust deal. Why, you want to go into real estate with me?"

Logan exhales slowly, the amount hitting him hard. There goes most of his money.

"What do you know about Gorya Sorokin?"

Liam seems to know the name immediately, much to Logan's surprise. "He's a little Russian piss ant that thinks he can take over the drug cartel on my turf. Why?"

No sense in revealing more than necessary, Logan thinks. "How about this? Instead of our original deal, I pay you the full eight million in cash and you take care of Sorokin for me."

Liam laughs and Logan remembers just how fucking terrified he was of him back at the River Styx. "Why the hell would you want to do that?"

"I've got my reasons," Logan explains without elaboration. A couple of those reasons were delivered to him a week before, along with a detailed explanation of what would become of him and several others before Gory bid farewell to Neptune upon graduation. Logan no longer doubted Gory's sincerity, and after realizing just how much he liked living, he wasn't about to take any chances with it.

"Eight million to take out that punk? I woulda done it for half."

"I guess it's your lucky day then," Logan bites, his confidence gaining on him. "Eight million in cash and you take care of him and get out of town. Sail the Caribbean or travel Europe, I don't fucking care. But you'll leave Neptune."

"Looks like someone's balls just dropped," Liam sneers, turning to leave. "Fine. But I want at least half the money before I do anything. Then I want the second half within 24 hours, or Sorokin won't be the only one I'm taking care of. Got it?"

Logan nods and walks him out. It makes him sick to his stomach to do this, to make a deal with Liam, to make any deal that will cost someone their life. But it's self-preservation at its finest and Logan's not going down easily.

--------

The day after Logan turns 21, Gorya Sorokin is found in a parking lot at Hearst, a gunshot wound to his head.

It was one of Logan's better investments.

------------

Veronica has never been away from the baby for a full night since he was born either, and she doesn't want to start now. Her own relationship with her parents is so twisted, her father being the only one she can count on and her mother almost a stranger, and she won't let that happen to her own son.

She looks over at the empty side of the bed she usually shares with Logan. Despite her exhaustion, she's unable to sleep, and she realizes it's because she misses Logan just as much as she misses the baby. After finally having calmed down since the afternoon, she decides to go to the Grand and talk to Logan…

At the hotel, Logan's on a blanket on the floor with baby Keith, trying to get him to practice crawling again. The baby had so far mastered getting up on his hands and knees and swaying to and fro while gurgling, but he'd come to a standstill as far as actual movement went.

Logan gives up when there's a knock on the door, and figuring it is room service, he swings the baby up into his arms and rushes to answer it.

"Oh. Hey," he says upon finding Veronica instead of a steak dinner.

"Hi," she replies nervously, her eyes on her feet.

He waves her in and she reluctantly follows, instinctively reaching for the baby as soon as she crosses the threshold. She cradles Keith against her before putting him down in the small travel playpen she had sent with her father.

"I'm sorry," she tells Logan, turning to him. "I'm so, so sorry."

Logan can't really hide his surprise at her apology, and she holds her hand up to stop him from speaking. "I had no right to ask you to leave our home. This…how I was acting…it had nothing to do with you. I was just feeling really insecure about everything."

"Hey," he says, reaching for her hand, "you know you can talk to me about it, right? You can tell me anything and nothing's going to change how I feel about you."

"I know," she says sincerely. She allows herself to be pulled against him and so she rests her head against his chest. "It's just, I was taken by surprise with Camille and it reminded me of being taken by surprise with Aaron and Cassidy and Mercer…"

"It's not your fault, Veronica. People don't come with either halos or horns."

"Well they should," she sniffles against his shirt. "Sure would make my job easier."

He laughs softly against her hair and holds her tighter against him. "Yeah, I know."

"I talked to my dad and that helped," she admits, pulling back to look at him.

"That's good," he says, wiping at her tears.

"He told me a lot of things I didn't know."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. About him and things that happened with Kendall." She gazes up from beneath her lashes then to gauge his reaction. "And with the Fitzpatricks."

He nods, swallowing the thick lump that had developed in his throat, and she knows that he knows that she knows. "Why didn't you ever tell me?" she asks.

"Because your dad asked me not to."

She seems to accept that explanation. "I still wish you would have told me."

Logan sighs and steps away from her, his hands falling at his sides. "Your dad doesn't know everything that happened," he confesses reluctantly.

"What do you mean?"

Logan looks back at his son, who is blissfully oblivious to any adult conversation as he plays with two plastic blocks, and then turns once again to Veronica. His entire world is in this room and he could risk it all by telling her the truth, but the secret has been eating at him for years.

So he tells her everything and tries to study her expression as things become clear. He expects disbelief and disgust, probably more tears. She shakes her head as she tries to process his words and then she moves to take a seat at the foot of the bed in the center of the room.

"Logan," she whispers, her tiny voice piercing him. "Why didn't you just come to me?"

"What would you have been able to do?" he asks. "And you know you would have just been pissed at me for going after him even though you warned me. You _know_ that," he defends, his own voice cracking with emotion.

"I spent most of my summer internships working with people to try and get his father and uncle put away. I finally did it my first year out of Quantico," she explains.

"It wouldn't have mattered, Veronica. _Gory_ was after me, and he had things planned for the end of junior year. You wouldn't have been able to do anything."

He sees the resignation cloud her face and it's physically painful for him. He can't ever regret defending her, and a part of him will never regret helping rid the world of someone like Gory, who was already inflicting so much pain on others. He can't regret it when he knows that things would only have gotten worse.

But he hates that it made him a killer, even if he didn't pull the trigger himself.

"I'll call my lawyer tomorrow about a divorce, if that's what you want. But you can't take Keith from me, okay? I would never do anything to hurt him," he rambles.

She continues to shake her head, her eyes brimming with tears. "It's done, Logan," she murmurs, and his face falls at her words.

"It was years ago, and it's done," she continues before looking up at him. "I know what that family was capable of doing."

"He said that he was going to take out everyone I cared about, Veronica. He was going to come after me _and_ you and who knows who else. All because I threw a couple of punches at him in the cafeteria?"

"I just want to forget about it, okay? I just want to forget about the Sorokins and the Fitzpatricks…all of it."

Logan's looks off to the side, dreading the answer to his next question. "Do you still want to be with me?" he finally asks.

She looks up at him through her tears and watches him carefully, finally fully absorbing how insecure he is about her. That hits her hard and she quickly moves from her seat to embrace him. He sighs in relief and slumps against her, his arms wrapping around her tightly.

"I love you, Logan," she tells him, holding him to her and running her hand soothingly through his thick hair.

After a few minutes he finally pulls away from her. "Can we please go home now?"

She smiles softly at him, reaching out to caress his face. "Yeah, let's go."

**Now…**

The sob wretched from her body before she was even aware of her tears. Edwards caught her hands, curled into hard fists, and pulled her arms to his chest. "Hey now, I know. You don't have to try so hard to be strong right now. It won't hurt him if you cry. It doesn't mean he's not going to come back."

She was so tired. Physically. Mentally. But she couldn't be. Not now. Not when everything was on the line.

She pulled back from Edwards, one of the kinder FBI agents she had ever encountered, and nodded. She could do this. She had to. He needed her.

"We'll find your son, Veronica."

She looked up at him, meeting his black eyes for the first time. "_I'll_ find him," she said, and the fire was back, burning within her. "I'll find him. And I'll find the person who really did this. I'll find them, and I'll make them pay."

"Veronica, you just need to talk to us," Edwards pleaded. "You don't have to do this alone."

She shook her head, her tears flowing freely. "I just don't understand. Why is everyone listening to _her_? Why do they believe her over Logan?"

"Look, Veronica, I'm gonna be a lot more straight with you then I would normally be under these circumstances, okay?" She nodded and wiped her eyes as she waited for him to continue. "As far as most other FBI agents are concerned, Keith probably isn't going to come back."

She sobbed again, her chest shaking painfully at those words.

"But hey," Edwards said, once more reaching for her shoulders. "Hey, you know how we're trained to think. Look at the evidence. But _I_ don't believe it either, okay? I don't."

"I would know, right?" she asked, looking up into his eyes again. "Wouldn't I be able to feel it? If he…if he was dead, wouldn't I be able to _feel_ it?"

"We need to work together," he told her, ignoring the question. "You need to talk to me, okay?"

"Okay," she agreed, wiping at her eyes.

"Now, were you and Logan having any marital problems?" he asked, and she shook her head.

"There weren't any troubles between you two? Something you may have done that could have angered him?" he pressed. Again, she shook her head. She was growing agitated with that line of questioning, knowing very well what he was insinuating.

"Is it at all possible that Logan was having an affair?"

"_No_," she growled, frustrated.

"Veronica, did _you_ ever have an affair?"

"_No_," she answered again, even firmer now. How was this supposed to help Keith? It was a waste of her time. Time that she could be out there looking for him herself.

Edwards seemed to be as frustrated as she was. "Can you think of anyone who would want to hurt either you or Logan? Any enemies you may have?" and at that she laughs, bitter and jagged.

"I could write you a very, very short list of the people I trust in this world. Anyone else would be fair game," she informed him.

He closed his eyes at that, and suddenly he looked as tired as she felt.

"Let's get back to this morning then, okay?" he sighed. "What happened after breakfast?"


	7. Chapter 6

Mid July, 2019

Keith Mars punches in the security code for the gate and waits for it to open so he can drive on through. After he parks in front of the house, he practically skips to the front door, his mood jubilant as he clutches the information packet under his arm.

He knocks and rings the bell, but there's no answer. He knows Logan's SUV is in the garage, so he figures that Logan is probably in a part of the house where he can't hear him, and he decides to let himself in. Since Logan had gone all out with safety measures for the house, Keith doesn't need a key. He just presses his thumb against the fancy new high-tech scanner above the doorbell and then he's granted access through his print identification.

He's still impressed with that.

And, he thinks to himself as he enters the large house, he's still impressed with his daughter's home. Logan and Veronica had moved to this place almost two years ago, and Keith still has to resist the urge to whistle every time he walks through the door.

"Logan? Keith?" he calls out, quickly scanning the living room for any sign of his son-in-law or grandson. Figuring they're probably in the playroom on the first floor, he walks through the giant kitchen and heads down the stairs that are off to his right.

When he hits the bottom landing, he's shocked to see that the entire area is a complete disaster. In one corner of the room, two sofas that were previously positioned in front of the television are now overturned, and a large blanket is draped over the upturned bottoms.

"Grandpa!" little Keith calls out, struggling to free himself out from underneath another blanket that's covering part of a couch and part of an end-table. He then rushes toward him, bounding happily and reaching for his hand. "C'mon," he says, pulling him along, "we're makin' a fork!"

"Fort," Logan corrects him as he pops up from behind one of the sofas, more blankets in his arms. He looks over at the older Keith, relieved. "I thought you were Veronica."

"Common mistake," he tells him, taking in the room. "You call this a fort?" he teases, shaking his head in mock disapproval.

"Fort, fork," Logan shrugs. "Whatever."

"Needs more pillows."

"Noted," he replies. "Hey, munchkin," he says, turning his attention to his son, "go upstairs and get some pillows off of your bed."

"K!" he yells, running up the steps.

"Careful!" Logan calls out after him, worrying that his exuberance will cause him to trip on the stairs. Once little Keith is out of the room, Logan starts to make his way upstairs, too, and motions for his father-in-law to follow him.

"So I've got the information Veronica wanted about little league," he tells him once they're back in the kitchen. He holds up the large envelope he's been carrying. "Now he's too young for any of the teams that are playing right now, but I talked to one of my deputies and he thinks we might be able to get a T-ball team together with kids Keith's age." He smiles proudly. "I'd be the coach, of course."

"Little league?" Logan asks, frowning as he takes the information and gives it a cursory glance. "T-ball? Veronica actually asked you about this?"

"Well, she asked me if I knew anything he could do to get him involved with other kids. Baseball seemed the obvious choice."

"Ah, of course it did," Logan grins, sliding the papers back towards Keith. "Sorry, we'll be too busy learning how to surf."

"So he can be attacked by a shark?"

"Like T-ball is any safer."

Keith chuckles. "You're right. Lord only knows how many children are injured each year in this deadly sport."

"My point exactly. Hey, what time is it?" Logan asks, looking around the room for the clock.

Keith glances at his watch. "Quarter after four."

Just then little Keith comes into the room, struggling to hold on to the bed pillows that are almost as big as he is. "Sorry, buddy, but we lost track of time. Mommy's going to be home soon, so you can put the pillows back." Keith sighs dramatically, but lumbers back out of the room to do as he was told.

"You're drunk on parental power," Keith Mars informs him casually as he looks over the little league information himself.

Logan grins, and is about to make a joke about the thrill of asserting himself as head of the house when he remembers that Veronica will be back any minute and the play area is a wreck. And there's no kidding anyone about who really wears the pants in their family. "Damn, I have to go clean up downstairs. I'll be right back."

Keith smiles to himself as Logan rushes off. While he certainly had more than a few doubts about all of this, he has to admit that his daughter has a pretty good thing going now. If only he could get a future major-leaguer out of it, everything would be perfect.

Veronica arrives home about ten minutes later, entering the kitchen weighed down by her heavy messenger bag and an armful of files. "Hey Dad," she manages, breathing heavily as she tries to unload everything on the countertop. "Where's Logan?"

"Downstairs. I've got some news about baseball teams for you here," he says, motioning to the papers in front of him.

"Oh never mind about that. I've got something even better." She reaches in her bag and pulls out an envelope. "I talked to a woman at Ritchfield today and I think we might be able to work something out for this fall. I have an application," she grins triumphantly in her dramatic pause, "right here."

Keith lets out a low whistle and takes the paper from her. Ritchfield is Neptune's very exclusive and very expensive private school, where the offspring of the town's crème de la crème study from preschool to the eighth grade. The school has a stellar reputation, and if Keith could have afforded to send Veronica there, he would have done so in an instant. But it's hard for him to imagine his grandson already preparing for school. He is growing up too fast.

Logan reappears from the stairwell then and rushes to greet Veronica with a kiss. The beard he's recently been growing out seems to irritate her skin, though, and she scratches her face as he moves past her. "What's this?" he asks, examining the application that Keith returned to Veronica. "Preschool?"

Veronica knows that this won't be easy for Logan, so she decides to tread lightly. "You know they started the application process for this year _last September_ but they're willing to make an exception for us," she tells him happily.

"But why don't we just start the application for _next year_ this September?"

Veronica tries to hide her exasperation. "Because he's almost four and he has no experience being around other kids? He needs time to adjust before kindergarten. This will be really good for him."

"I think I better get going," Keith, who has been watching the exchange with a mixture of amusement and sympathy, says. "Just remember, Mickey Mantle probably started out with T-ball."

They both wave absently as he leaves, not bothering to turn away from their conversation. "Preschool's a waste of time. We can make macaroni necklaces and take naps here."

"It's _Ritchfield_. They have one of the most highly regarded enrichment programs in the state."

"So…what does that mean for the four year-olds? Fancier pasta?"

Veronica groans in frustration, mostly because she doesn't know exactly what their curriculum entails but she doesn't want Logan to know that. "No," she replies petulantly. She gives up at his pointed look. "Gretchen says they have an amazing program and we shouldn't even consider going anywhere else."

Logan throws his head back in annoyance. "Oh god, _Gretchen_ says?"

_That was a major misstep_, Veronica thinks. Logan really can't stand Gretchen and her frequent, unsolicited parenting advice, and he doesn't understand why Veronica always listens to her. Well, it _is_ a sad commentary on Veronica's social circle when the only person she has to dispense such motherly advice is a 72-year-old cashier at the local grocery store.

"See, _this_ is why I shop at Trader Joe's now."

Veronica rolls her eyes. "Never mind Gretchen. He needs _friends_, to be around kids his own age. We've talked about this!"

Logan leans against the kitchen island and tries to think of an alternative solution. "One of my friends from Marshall has a six-year-old little girl."

"An older woman?" Veronica scoffs. "No way."

They both pause in thought for a moment before Logan sighs softly, and Veronica can tell from his change in demeanor that he's sad now. "What's wrong?"

"Charlie still won't meet with me," he admits.

Veronica grits her teeth. How she'd love to kick Charlie Stone's ass. The year before, Logan had casually asked Veronica if she could check up on his half-brother and see how he was doing, and her investigation revealed that Charlie was married now and had a son only a few months older than Keith.

Logan would deny it, but Veronica knew that he fervently wished to build a relationship with his only living blood relative, that he desperately wanted for his son to have his uncle in his life, to be able to grow up with his cousin. It was one of the things that had triggered their discussion about Keith's lack of interaction with other children.

"I'm sorry."

He shrugs, but Veronica isn't fooled. "I guess this is at least worth checking out," he tells her, grabbing his glasses so he can read over the application more carefully.

------------

Three weeks later and it's a tense morning at their home. Veronica is swamped with work and running late to the office, and Logan has been on the phone for the last hour trying to track down Dick Casablancas.

Their busyness is compounded by the stress of the first meeting with Keith's teacher at the scheduled open house later in the evening. For the last few weeks, it seems as though they've been living and breathing Ritchfield. There was a lot of last minute scrambling in order to get Keith enrolled, and it meant that they had to cancel a family trip to Europe, which had been Logan's surprise anniversary present to Veronica. But after a lot of red tape (and some hefty late registration fees on top of the $50,000 a year tuition), everything seems to be set and Keith will be starting school on the 2nd, the day after he turns four.

Veronica is still in rush mode when she arrives home at around three, copies of an important case file tucked under her arm and a shopping bag in her hand. Logan is back on the phone again, and little Keith is watching him with interest as he sits on the tall stool at the kitchen island, drinking a glass of milk through his favorite twisty straw.

"Hi," she says, kissing the top of his head as she places the file folder and bag on the counter. "I picked up your uniform today. You get to wear it tonight when we go and meet everyone."

He grins, lifting his head to try and get a glimpse of the contents in the bag.

Logan's still in the middle of a call and hurriedly trying to write down a number on a nearby notepad. He turns to Veronica after he hangs up, his fingertips massaging his temple. "I've had the worst headache all day and I still have no idea where Dick is."

"Who are you going to call now?" she asks, her eyes flitting to the piece of paper in front of him.

"I got the cell number for his landlord in LA," he informs her as he dials. Just then Veronica's own cell goes off, and the ringtone tells her it's a client. She groans and flips it open, leaving the room for privacy and quiet.

"I haven't heard from him in about a month and I'm starting to get worried," Logan explains over the phone.

Keith is starting to fidget, not used to not having his father's undivided attention. He starts blowing bubbles in his milk, and when Logan looks up and notices, he snaps his fingers and points at the glass, a stern look on his face.

"Whoa, wait. If he moved out in June, why didn't you call me?"

Bored by the grownup discussion and growing restless, Keith starts blowing bubbles again, watching mesmerized as the fizz rises to the top of the glass.

"That didn't stop you from cashing the rent checks I've sent for the last two months though, right?" Logan asks angrily. The money doesn't bother him; it's certainly not as if he'll miss it, and he will always feel as though he owes Dick since he gave him some bad business advice back when Logan was in grad school and it cost Dick a good chunk of his trust fund. But Logan won't tolerate someone trying to take advantage of him, and Dick's landlord is really starting to piss him off.

"Keith!" he growls, his hand over the phone. "Stop. It."

Keith jerks back in surprise and the glass of milk topples over, the white liquid spreading out over the countertop and soaking Veronica's papers.

"Dammit!" Logan yells, hanging up the phone and reaching for a kitchen towel. Keith's face crumples and he starts to cry.

"What's wrong?" Veronica asks as she returns to the room.

"Your papers are drenched," Logan tells her as he mops up the mess. He throws down the towel in frustration and rubs at his temple again. "Veronica."

"Go," she tells him, motioning toward the door with her head. Logan grabs his car keys off the counter and takes off, and Keith continues to sniffle from his seat.

"Hey," she says, rubbing his small back. "There's an old saying about crying over spilt milk. I think that applies here."

"Daddy's mad at me."

"Don't worry, he's just having a bad day," she tells him, tousling his brown hair.

"What about those?" he asks, pointing to her ruined papers.

"They're copies, so it's okay. C'mon, let's go upstairs so you can get a bath and start getting ready. We have to be at the school at six and I thought we could go out for _pizza_ first."

He smiles a little at the thought of pizza, and Veronica lifts him from his seat so they can head to his bathroom.

Logan gets home about twenty minutes later, and failing to find his family in the kitchen, he climbs the stairs to check Keith's room.

"Hey."

Veronica looks up to see him leaning against the doorframe. "Are you all right?" she asks, going back to work drying off Keith, who is standing before her in his puppy towel, complete with little ears sticking out from the hood covering his wet head.

"Yeah," he tells her, smiling softly as he enters the room. A short drive and some aspirin did wonders for his mood and headache, and he appreciates that Veronica understands his need to take off for a little bit in fear of losing his temper too badly. "Why don't you start to get ready and I'll take care of him?"

She rises from her knees, patting her son's head. "I'm going to go cleanup downstairs first. His uniform is in that bag," she says, pointing to the bed. She brushes past Logan on the way out and tenderly squeezes his arm.

Logan works to unpack the bag, which includes tiny slacks, a collared shirt, tie and dress jacket. He always hated having to dress up in suits for work, greatly preferring the comfort of jeans and t-shirts, and he's passed on his fashion choices to his son. He has no idea how Keith is going to cope with such an uncomfortable ensemble.

He gets him dressed in everything but the tie and jacket, and then he lifts Keith up in his arms and sits him on the edge of his twin bed and kneels before him. "Okay," he says, holding up the necktie, "I know it didn't take you long to learn how to tie your shoes, but these are lot more complicated, so I'll do it the first time and we'll practice more later, all right?" he asks.

Keith nods enthusiastically, his legs swinging back and forth.

"Are you excited about tonight?" Logan asks with a smile, sliding the tie around Keith's collar.

"Kinda."

"It'll be fun. You'll meet your teacher and make some friends. You'll like school," he promises.

Keith's eyes are down, watching with wonderment as Logan makes quick work of his tie. He adjusts it for Keith's comfort and then straightens it, and the little boy seems impressed. "It's not too hard," Logan says. "I'll show you how to do it."

"Who showed you?" he asks, holding the bottom of the tie in his hand and examining it.

Logan chuckles, remembering one of the few happy times on his father's set. "Harrison Ford."

At Keith's look of confusion, Logan elaborates. "He played Indiana Jones. He worked with my dad once and I got to know him. He's a really nice guy."

They never really talked about Aaron, not only because Keith wouldn't really understand, but because Logan has no real desire to ever discuss his father. But Keith knows that his other grandfather is gone, and he seems to grasp the concept of real people playing characters on TV, and that that was what Aaron used to do.

"Wow," he breathes, already tugging at his tie. The _Indiana Jones_ films are some of his favorite movies, and Logan's surprised to realize that he never told him before about how he knew the actor. He's usually always up for impressing his son.

Logan loosens the tie a bit, figuring he can fix it later. "You look good," he says, pulling back to look at him. He holds out his hand. "C'mon, now I'll show you how to put gel in your hair."

Downstairs, Veronica is still wiping up the mess on the counter when the home phone rings.

"Hello," she answers, not even bothering to check the caller ID.

"Veronica Echolls?" a female voice asks.

"This is she," Veronica replies as she continues to cleanup, the phone now cradled in the crook of her neck.

"Hi, Veronica, this is Miranda from Neptune General. Your son's pediatrician had some blood work done for him here last week."

Veronica can feel her stomach bottoming out in panic and she stops everything she's doing. "Is something wrong?" she asks, breathless.

"Oh, no! No, everything has come back fine so far!" the woman clarifies, rushing to reassure her. "But we ran out of the sample before we finished all of the tests Ritchfield requires. Would it be possible for you to stop by sometime on Monday so we can draw more blood? We have a phlebotomist on duty all day, so whenever it's convenient for you…"

"Oh, yeah. Sure," Veronica answers as she calms down. "Um, my husband can bring him by Monday morning. Around ten, maybe?"

"Great. I'll make a note of that so they won't have to wait around. Thanks so much."

"Sure, no problem. Bye." Veronica hangs up and scribbles the time and date on the notepad right underneath the phone number Logan wrote earlier. It's just another thing to add on their ever growing to-do-list.

------------

Later that night, after a relaxing dinner at Antonio's Pizzeria (and through some miracle, and a lot of napkins, Keith's clothes manage to stay sauce free), they all head out to the school.

Ritchfield is comprised of several large, newly renovated buildings grouped together right in the middle of the '09er zip code. It's a comfortable walking distance from their house, and the realtor pointed that out as one of the selling points when they decided to buy it a couple of years back. But they drive now, coming straight from the restaurant, and after a short ride, Logan parks his black Lexus SUV alongside the curb right in front of the smallest building.

Visitors usually have to buzz in over the intercom before the doors are unlocked for them, but tonight, on a gorgeous summer evening, the large double glass doors are wide open, with a giant welcome banner hanging directly above them.

Once they make it to the classroom, Keith is separated from them, pilfered away with the rest of the children to be observed in another room. Logan and Veronica will get a chance to meet with the teacher one-on-one later, but now they're encouraged to mingle with the other parents while they wait.

About forty-five minutes later, the teacher, Miss Burke, scans her room for Keith Echolls's parents. She frowns when she spots them by the refreshment table, huddled far away from everyone else.

"Mr. and Mrs. Echolls?" she asks, approaching them. "We met briefly last week. I'm Casey Burke, Keith's teacher." She holds out her hand for each of them to shake and then asks for them to follow her to another room.

"Have a seat," she says, motioning to the two chairs in front of her desk. She closes the door behind them, the chitter chatter from the other parents dying out suddenly.

"I'm so happy to meet you. I just spent some time with Keith and I have to say, he's an amazing little boy." Veronica and Logan both smile at that, straightening in their seats a little. "He's a little shy around the other children, but that's normal. He's an only child, right?"

"Is that a problem?" Veronica asks, leaning forward. "Because I'm an only child and-"

"It's not a problem," Miss Burke interrupts, obviously confused. "I'm just trying to find out a little more about him." She looks over some papers in front of her. "His tests scores are very high. Did you have him enrolled in any educational programs?"

"No," Veronica answers, her face falling. "Is that bad?"

"Veronica, calm down," Logan whispers. "We read to him all of the time," he says, addressing the teacher. "We're very big readers. A new story every night. His room looks like the children's section of Barnes & Noble."

"That's great."

"He's even reading some himself now," Veronica pipes in, smiling broadly.

"Well, not really," Logan clarifies. "A little, but mostly he just has his favorite stories memorized. So don't put him in any gifted program yet. He might crack under the pressure."

Miss Burke laughs, taken with the nervous parents before her. "You don't have to talk up Keith, trust me. I think he'll do wonderfully here. Now let me tell you a little about us." She settles back in her chair and taps her pen against a legal pad. "Ritchfield's ranked number four in California, as far as standardized test scores go, and we're highly regarded as one of the top private institutions in the country. Many of our students go on to Ivy League colleges, whether their parents choose for them to attend a public or private high school.

"But I'm sure you already know this," she smiles. "We believe small class sizes are key, and Keith's class will only have eleven other students. That's a really good number for us, as we usually average around fifteen. I'm the head teacher, and I have three teaching assistants. Two recently graduated from Stanford and one is a local girl from Hearst, so they're very qualified. We'll all be able to give Keith all of the attention he needs."

Logan and Veronica nod along, and so she continues. "Since they're so small, and I know safety is probably one of your largest concerns, I assure you that he'll be in good hands with us. The preschool and kindergarten classes are all in this building, and we have this floor all to ourselves. We're even installing a new system with ultra-sensitive security cameras, and that'll be finished by the time school is in session. All doors remain locked after the first bell rings, and everyone has to be granted access through the intercom. In case of an emergency, Keith will only be released to your care, or to the one other person you list as an emergency contact. You'll both need to have identification photos taken for our records before you leave, and we need the other contact to come in and do so as well.

"About our curriculum," she says, taking a breath, "we break down our teachings into several units. This might be preschool, but we do a _lot_ of teaching. Our first unit focuses on early reading skills, and then we move on after eight weeks to basic mathematics, which continues throughout the year. That's followed by music, and our goal is to have Keith started on at least one instrument. Musical appreciation is so important at this age. But don't worry about us burning them out! We pay attention to all of the recent studies in child psychology and development, and we know how important downtime is to them. We provide a healthy, nurturing atmosphere where they can relax and develop lifelong bonds with their peers.

"This is definitely the best thing for your son, and I think he'll really love it here. So…do you have any questions?"

Logan and Veronica both just stare back at her, dumbfounded.

------------

"That woman should be a used car salesman," Logan grumbles, struggling to open up the backdoor to his SUV with an exhausted Keith draped over his shoulder. He finally manages and then gets Keith settled in his booster seat, and Keith's back to nodding off as soon as he's buckled in.

"Do you _see_ these information packets that we have to read?" she asks, lifting up the thick stack for emphasis. "Tolkien was less winded."

"And the uniforms," he adds. "Why stop at a suit and tie? Why not add a monocle?"

Veronica shakes her head in exasperation, turning in her seat to look at her son. After playing for hours with kids his own age, he's practically dead weight. But he seemed happy.

She turns back to Logan. "I think he had fun."

"Yeah," he agrees. He laughs softly. "At least one of us did."

"There's a list of contact info for all of the other parents," Veronica says, going through some of the many papers she has in her lap. "I think we should send out invitations to his birthday party. Spare him another year of cake with you, me and my dad."

Logan smiles. "He'd like that."

------------

Sunday, September 1st, 2019

Keith Echolls is four years old, and for the very first time, his party consists of more than three adults standing around a homemade cake while they sing the birthday song out of key.

With the addition of Keith's classmates and their parents, there's about sixty people milling around the Echolls's backyard. Veronica had been very concerned about the large in-ground pool, which Logan had insisted on so he could teach his son how to swim, so they hired professionals to come in and cover it with a dance floor. Now there's plenty of room for everyone.

The night before, Keith was allowed to stay up late so he could celebrate his exact moment of birth with his parents. When the clock struck 12:38 a.m, they all cheered and clapped, huddled together on his tiny bed. They were worried that less sleep would make him crabby for his party, but he is having such a good time with the other kids, it's not even a problem.

Mac shows up after twelve, visibly horrified by the presence of so many children. She has a great relationship with Keith, who adores her, but she never was one for little kids.

"Where did they all come from?" she asks, wide-eyed.

"You've been away for a long, long time, Mac," Veronica says seriously. "You've missed so much. They're all mine."

"Birth control, Veronica. Learn it. Live it. Love it."

"You seriously don't want to have kids one day? Not even with Jakey-poo?" she asks, making kissy sounds.

"Maybe we'll get a dog. Maybe."

"I give you five years," Logan chimes in, coming up from behind Mac and playfully tugging on her hair, which is now cut into a sleek bob.

"Just the person I wanted to see," she says, spinning on her heel. "After the birthday boy, of course. I need some help. I've got most of my savings tied up in this web applet and Google is buying it out and I don't know if I should stay or sell for a _really_ nice profit."

"What have I always told you? Get in and then get out."

"I thought that was your dating advice."

Logan shakes his head in mock disgust. "You're never going to get rich with that attitude. You could have been a millionaire with our site, but you held on too long when it was bought out. Now what are you left with? Misty, water-colored memories."

"Aunt Mac!" Keith calls out, rushing to her. He throws his arms around her waist to hug her, and Logan and Veronica watch in amusement as she melts. "I hate you both," she mouths, letting Keith pull her along so he can show her off to his new friends.

"Hey, look," Logan says, tugging on the sleeve to Veronica's shirt in order to get her attention. "Trina remembered to send a birthday card. 'Happy 7th Birthday, Keith!' Seven already. How the years just fly by."

"It's the thought that counts," Veronica tells him with a smile. She turns her attention back to the party, grinning happily as she watches Mac and Keith standing with her father. She feels ridiculously content today, even though a small part of her is sad that Keith will be going off to school for the first time the very next day. But in that moment, surrounded by all the people who matter the most to her and seeing her son laughing and happy, things are good.

------------

Veronica groans, exhausted, and bats at the alarm clock that's blaring obnoxiously from her side of the bed. She opens her bleary eyes and kicks off the covers. It's 6:30 in the morning and she usually doesn't get up until 8. That missing hour and a half of sleep is killing her now.

Logan's side of the bed is already empty, and she figures that Keith is probably already awake, too. That is if he even slept. He was so excited the night before, laying out all of his clothes and getting everything ready in his book bag that she had bought for him.

She's on breakfast duty, so she finally gets up out of bed and heads downstairs. Logan and Keith are already in the kitchen, both still in their pajamas.

"Good morning, starshine!" Logan intones happily.

"It's too early to be in a good mood," she says, going for the coffee. She yawns before she takes a sip, and even that little bit of caffeine seems to help.

"What'll it be? Anything you want today?" she asks Keith, who is practically bouncing in his seat. "Pancakes? Waffles? Eggs?"

"Cake?"

"Except cake." He had three pieces the day before and he was practically crawling up the walls all night.

"If you get started on breakfast, I'll take care of his lunch," Logan says, moving past her to the refrigerator.

"No cake for lunch either!" she warns.

"You're such a killjoy."

"Do you really want him to be keyed up on his first day of school?"

"Is there a better time for him to be keyed up?" he asks with a grin. "He'll be on a sugar high all day, while in someone else's care, and then he'll crash when he gets home. That's a plan!"

Veronica rolls her eyes playfully, ignoring him and returning her attention to her son. "How about an omelet?"

------------

Keith has to be at school at 8 a.m. sharp, and so they all leave the house at 7:30. It's a beautiful, sunny day and so they take advantage of the distance and walk, Veronica carrying her camera around her neck and Logan carrying Keith on his shoulders.

There's a crowd of parents standing outside of the building, all gathered at the bottom of the steps as they say goodbye to their children. One of the rules is that the kids have to enter the building alone, which the teacher claims is a wonderful way for them to assert their independence.

Veronica looks around as she gets her camera ready for photos, and she's surprised by how emotional everyone seems. Ignoring them, and the own lump forming in her throat, she instructs Keith to go stand on the steps and pose.

"Can you believe everyone crying?" she asks Logan as she clicks away, trying desperately to hold back her own tears. "Lame."

Logan shakes his head as he watches her. "Timeout," he tells her, moving toward Keith. "Guy talk."

He reaches out to straighten his son's tie, which Keith tied all by himself only moments before. "Hey buddy," he says, crouching so he can be at eye level with him, "be good. Remember to listen to your teachers, okay?"

Keith nods, and even though he was so enthusiastic before, he seems much more subdued now. Sad, even.

"What are you gonna do all day while I'm in school?" he asks.

Logan smiles at him as he fixes his hair. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine."

"But what are you gonna do?" he practically cries, worried. "I won't be there."

"Well," Logan explains, "first I'm going to eat all of the rest of your birthday cake. Then I'm going to go to the zoo. Maybe I'll stop for ice cream."

Keith giggles at his daddy's teasing, and Logan pulls him against his chest and hugs him tight. "Hey," he whispers in his son's ear. "There's a phone in your lunchbox, in the top part of your thermos. If you need me for anything, call my number like we practiced. But don't let anybody see it, okay?"

Keith nods against Logan's shoulder and squeezes him tighter. "I love you. Now go give your mommy a kiss."

Logan watches as he bounds down the stairs and into his mother's arms. Veronica holds him for a long moment before finally letting him go, and she wipes her eyes as she watches him climb the steps and enter the building.

"You okay?" Logan asks her, squeezing her shoulder. She smiles through her tears and nods, and he takes her hand so they can walk back to the house.

"I have appointments with two new clients today," she tells him on the way. "One at 9:30 and another at 11, but they shouldn't take too long. I'll be out by one and I'll meet you at the school."

"So you've got time to have breakfast with me now?"

"I can squeeze you in," she teases, and she has to laugh at the mischievous glint in his eyes. "No, only time for breakfast."

"But we've got the house to ourselves. You can scream as loud as you want."

She shakes her head as he scans his thumbprint to unlock the door and then pulls her inside. "Nope. Not enough time."

"We could skip breakfast," he says, spinning around to face her. He wraps an arm around her waist and draws her to him, lowering his mouth to her neck.

She moans at the feel of his tongue against her pulse, and her hands move to the back of his head and she threads her fingers through his short hair.

Knowing he has her right where he wants her, he lifts her in his arms and heads for the stairs, all without moving his lips off of her. She grinds against him, desperately seeking friction through her dark designer jeans, and he groans as he continues to lave at her throat.

They stumble blindly into their bedroom and fall onto the mattress. Veronica seems to gain some semblance of thought then, and she pushes him away from her so she can hurriedly divest herself from her black suit jacket. "We have to hurry," she says, whipping off her green silk blouse and throwing it across the room.

"No we don't," he says, pulling off his own shirt.

"Logan," she lectures, fixing him with a look. "You know I can't miss an appointment with a client."

He grins, moving in to kiss her gently on the lips. "I'm your 9:30, baby."

"What?" she asks breathlessly, pulling back to look at him.

"I'm Mr. Smith," he says, his voice deep. "I think an employee might be stealing from me and I'm in dire need of your assistance."

"That was you?" she asks, slapping his chest as she remembers the call from the week before. "And _Smith_? You couldn't come up with anything better than Smith?"

"Fooled you didn't it?" he laughs, climbing on top of her. She sighs as he palms her breast through her silk bra, his mouth trailing from her jaw down to her throat, her breasts, her tummy…the rough scratch from his beard sending her nerve endings into overdrive.

She relaxes against the sheets as he undresses her, and her back arches off the bed when his tongue starts its slow tease of her clit. She comes ten minutes later, loudly calling out his name and still breathless as he climbs back up her body.

"Hi," he whispers, staring back at her with bright and happy eyes.

"Hi," she breathes, reaching out to play with his ear. Her other hand snakes around to unbutton his jeans, and she doesn't break eye contact as she starts to lower his zipper.

"Veronica," he says, eyes closed. "I wanted to talk to you about something."

She stops, sensing that it's serious. "What?"

His mouth opens but he doesn't speak, and he seems to be trying to find his words as he looks off to the side. "Veronica," he tries again, his eyes back on hers. "Would you want another baby?"

"What?" she asks softly, lifting her head.

He swallows. "Another baby. I think now would be a really good time to try."

They had talked about it before, back when they were getting ready to move. But neither had brought it up again since then.

She smiles, slow and sweet, and pulls down the waistband of his jeans. "I'll stop taking the Pill tomorrow." Any apprehension leaves Logan then and he lowers himself to her.

------------

They make love for the next hour, and Veronica is thoroughly sated as she collapses against him later. "Please tell me you're my eleven o'clock appointment too?"

"I wish," he sighs, his hands moving through her hair.

"I have to get a shower," she grumbles, reluctantly moving away from him. She runs her fingers against his face, smiling teasingly. "Maybe you can shave while I'm getting ready."

"You know you love it."

"I really, _really_ don't."

"Really?" he asks, genuinely surprised.

"Really," she calls out over her shoulder as she makes her way to the bathroom.

She hops in the large shower and relaxes under the hot water, leaning against the marble tiles as she breathes in the steam. She takes her sweet time, and when she finally turns the water off and reaches for her towel, she's surprised to see Logan standing at the sink at the other end of the bathroom.

"Don't say I never did anything for you," he says as he runs his razor under the faucet.

She grins as she moves behind him. "Now there's the guy I know," she tells him, reaching out to caress the side of his face that is already smooth.

It's already quarter after ten, and she has to rush to get dressed and get to her office in time. She's proud to say that she's never been late for an appointment and she's not about to start, especially when the client seemed so anxious and booked her over a month ago.

------------

Veronica gets to her office with twenty minutes to spare and so she decides to finish up on some of the menial work that has to get done.

And then she waits.

And waits.

And waits.

At quarter to twelve, and after several calls to the number the man left for her (no answer, and it doesn't even go to voicemail), Veronica decides that she's been stood up. So she finishes up some background checks for a regular client and waits for the minutes to pass until she can head off to the school to meet Logan and pick up Keith.

------------

"Hello, stranger." She greets Logan with a kiss, happily stroking his smooth face.

"Mm. Careful, or we'll embarrass the progeny," he says, scanning the steps for their son. Other kids have already started to filter out of the building, but there's no sign of Keith.

They wait for a few minutes, watching as more and more parents leave with their kids, listening happily as their children rattle off details about their day.

"Where is he?" Logan asks, anxious.

"Well, he's part Mars. He might be in there cleaning erasers for the teacher. That's what I used to do to suck up." She tries to joke but even she can't hide her concern.

They spot Miss Burke coming out of the doors, and both rush toward her. "Where's Keith?" Veronica asks, her own worry starting to get the best of her.

Miss Burke stares at them in confusion. "What do you mean? You came and got him over an hour ago."

"_What_?" Veronica asks, and Logan can feel the color draining from his face.

"I was told that there was a family emergency and he needed to leave early. That Logan came to pick him up," she says, her own voice starting to shake as she sees their panic. "You didn't come and pick him up?" she asks Logan.

"NO!" he yells, his heart racing.

"Let's go in and talk to the secretary," she tells them, turning to run back up the steps.

Logan and Veronica look at each other, both of them terrified and confused, and rush to follow her.


	8. Chapter 7

Miss Burke heads straight down the hall to the main office, with Logan and Veronica right on her heels.

"Vicki?" she calls out frantically.

A short, plump woman of about fifty peers up from behind her computer screen. "Casey, what's wrong?"

"Keith Echolls was pulled from my class today at around 11:30, and Cathy said that his father was here to sign him out."

Vicki looks over the sign in sheet, her finger trailing down a very short list. "Logan Echolls? Yeah, here's his signature. It says he came in at 11:15 a.m. Why?"

"Because I'M Logan Echolls and I never came to get Keith. Where the hell is he?" Logan barks, storming towards her reception desk.

"Logan," Veronica pleads, reaching for his arm. "Calm down. We'll figure this out."

"Were you here?" Miss Burke asks Vicki. "Did you see who took him?"

"No," Vicki says softly, shaking her head as she begins to apprehend the seriousness of the situation. "I took an early lunch because Cathy had a dentist appointment and she had to leave at noon. She was the only one here."

"Where's Cathy now?" Veronica asks desperately.

"Still at the dentist?" Vicki guesses, her eyes nervously darting from the teacher to Keith's parents. "I'm not sure."

"Call her at home, okay? See if she can come in and talk to us," Miss Burke instructs.

"You didn't see anything?" Veronica asks the teacher. "Who came and took Keith from the classroom?"

"Cathy did. She said that his father was there to sign him out, that there was a family emergency. It's up to the secretaries to release children into their parent's care in situations like this," she explains. "They're not supposed to let children leave with anyone but a guardian or the emergency contact."

Veronica wracks her brain trying to remember a Cathy the night of the open house weeks earlier. They might have been introduced, but there was so much going on that night, so many people to talk to, and she just can't seem to remember anything now in her panicked state…

"Keith wouldn't go willingly with a stranger," she says aloud. "He wouldn't."

"We just really need to talk to Cathy," Miss Burke repeats, more to herself than anyone else.

"What the fuck is Cathy going to do to bring Keith back?" Logan asks, his voice rough. "He's been gone for over an hour and a half and nobody knows where the hell he is!"

"I'm going to call my dad," Veronica tells him, reaching into her bag for her cell. She moves away from everyone as she dials the number for Keith's office at the station. "Dad?" she asks when he picks up after the first ring. "You need to come to Ritchfield. Keith's gone. They said that Logan came to pick him up at eleven but he didn't and we don't know where he is." Her voice shakes with every word.

--------

She and Logan wait for her father in silence, too scared and confused to do anything but sit in the seating area of the main office and stare off into space.

Veronica thinks back to the only other time she ever had to panic because she didn't know where Keith was. It was months ago, at the grocery store. Keith insisted that he was too big now to sit in the child seat of the shopping cart and so he walked beside her, and Veronica turned her back for just a second to buy some apples and suddenly Keith was gone. She found him only a few minutes later, in another aisle looking at cereal, but she had never been so scared in her life.

Until now. She looks down at her hands and realizes she's shaking. But she can't afford to fall apart. She _has_ to think. Think, think, think.

_"We're even installing a new system with ultra-sensitive security cameras, and that'll be finished by the time school is in session."_

"The cameras!" she exclaims, standing suddenly from her seat. She rushes over to Vicki's desk. "The security cameras. We can check them and see who left with Keith."

"I'm sorry," she says regretfully, shaking her head once again. "The cameras haven't been installed yet. We ran into some problems with the security company and they didn't finish on time. Everything was pushed back a week."

Logan, whose demeanor had brightened at Veronica's suggestion, slumps dejectedly in his seat. "You have _got_ to be kidding me," he mumbles, his foot tapping anxiously. It'd been so long since Veronica had seen him this tense, his temper slipping away from him by the second. It won't be much longer before he loses it completely, she thinks.

"Veronica?" Keith Mars calls her, bursting into the office with Sacks at his side. "I got here as soon as I could." He turns his attention to Vicki. "Have you gotten a hold of the other secretary yet?"

"The calls go straight to voicemail on her cell and I only get the machine at home. She's probably still at the dentist. She mentioned something about a root canal, and she took tomorrow off."

"I need her home address," he states firmly. "Sacks, start asking around the neighborhood, see if anyone saw anything. Call the station to get some of the others out here. I want every man on this."

Sacks nods and turns to leave, and Keith focuses his attention on his daughter and her husband. "What did you do after you dropped him off this morning?"

"I had an appointment with a new client at eleven, but he never showed," Veronica explains. "So I worked in the office until I left to come here at one."

"I was at the house. I didn't leave until it was time to come and pick him up." Logan sounds tired and defeated and Veronica _hates_ that.

Keith sighs as he takes a seat across from them. "I'm expecting a ransom soon," he admits. "Maybe they'll call you, or they might go through the media. I don't know."

Logan's head whips up at that. "Then we pay. Whatever they want. I'm not fucking around on this, I just want him back."

"How did this happen?" Veronica cries, her hands up in frustration. "I don't understand how this happened. He was supposed to be safe here." She looks over at Vicki. "How could she let somebody else take him?"

"Cathy's worked here for over twenty years," Vicki says softly. She's conflicted; she wants to defend her coworker and friend but the circumstances are too severe. "She has the ID photos. She _knows_ to not let anyone else even _near_ the children."

"I want to speak to his teachers. All of them," Keith tells her. "And keep calling Cathy, okay? We need to talk to her as soon as possible."

As Vicki leaves the room to collect Miss Burke and her TAs, Keith drops into the seat across from his daughter and takes his own turn to stare absently at the floor.

"Sheriff," Miss Burke addresses him as she reenters the office. "I'm Casey Burke, and this is one of my assistants, Bonnie Capistrano. The other two girls left at 1, but I can call them if you'd like."

"Bonnie?" Veronica asks, hurriedly moving out of her seat as soon as she recognizes the other woman. Bonnie wasn't at the open house in August, and Veronica had no idea she was one of the TAs. She hasn't even seen her since college, hadn't really talked to her since she worked on a case for her freshman year.

"Veronica!" Bonnie grins at her before she seems to remember where she is and what it means, and then the smile falls from her face. She looks around, a bit confused. "Are you working for Keith's parents?"

"I'm…I'm his mother."

Bonnie's brow furrows in concern. "I'm so sorry Veronica."

"Did you see anything?"

"No, none of us did. I answered the door when Cathy knocked to tell us that Mr. Echolls was there to pick Keith up. She said that he told her it was a family emergency. So I gathered up Keith's things and handed him over to her. But that's it."

"I'd appreciate it if both of you went down to the station and made a statement. It won't take long," Keith says. He turns back to Vicki. "Can I get that address? I'll go to her home and wait until she gets back. I just don't know what else to do until we talk to her."

Vicki nods and hands him a slip of paper, and as Keith walks out the door, Veronica and Logan rush to follow him. "Dad, I'm coming with you."

"Let me handle this, Veronica," he tells her firmly.

"What are we supposed to do then, huh? Just go home and wait? I can't do that! I'm following you." She doesn't give him a chance to respond as she brushes past him and to her green Jaguar parked along the curb. Logan looks back at Keith with a saddened and resigned expression before going after Veronica.

---------

They wait outside her modest house for over 40 minutes, Keith's cruiser parked directly in front of her home and Veronica and Logan waiting in the Jag a few houses down.

Veronica straightens in her seat when she sees a red Toyota pulling into Cathy's driveway. She watches anxiously as an average sized woman with long black hair emerges from the passenger side door. She waves goodbye to the driver with one hand as she clutches an icepack against her mouth with her other and then heads up the walkway to her home.

Keith is exiting his cruiser when Veronica tells Logan to stay put. She slams the car door behind her and jogs to her father, who is already knocking on Cathy's front door.

"Cathy Simpson?" he asks when she answers. He shows her his badge. "I'm Sheriff Mars, and this is my daughter Veronica, a private eye. We'd like to ask you a few questions about Keith Echolls."

Veronica notices that the woman doesn't seem to be surprised by a visit from the police. "Come in," she says, her words garbled by a mouthful of cotton.

She gestures for them to take a seat on her couch, and Veronica makes quick work to take a look around the living room. There are several photos in frames on the coffee table, pictures of Cathy with a man her age and a teenage girl, and a few others of the girl by herself.

"I understand that you work as a secretary at Ritchfield, and that this afternoon one of the students was pulled out of the school. Can you tell me what happened?" Keith asks.

Cathy winces in pain as she tries to speak, and then she turns her head to discreetly pull the cotton balls from her mouth. "Excuse me, I just came from the dentist. Root canal," she explains.

"Whenever you're ready," Keith says with more patience than Veronica could ever muster.

"Keith's father Logan came in at about quarter after 11 to sign him out. He seemed kind of upset, said that there was an emergency and he needed Keith immediately."

"But Logan is saying that he never picked him up, and nobody seems to know where Keith went."

"No," she says, shaking her head. "It was Logan Echolls. I had the photo and everything, and Keith went with him willingly, called him 'Daddy.' I'm absolutely sure it was him."

Veronica's watching her closely, taking careful note of the way her eyes flit to the side as she speaks, of how she wrings her hands nervously during her explanation. She's hiding something, Veronica's sure of it.

She digs into her bag for her wallet and produces a recent picture of Logan and Keith, one she took only a few weeks before. "This man? You're sure he's the one who picked up Keith?"

"Absolutely," she says, leaning in to get a closer look. "I'm positive."

"Can you describe what he looked like, what he was wearing?"

_Logan was wearing a dark green polo shirt and jeans when they dropped him off. It's one of Veronica's favorite shirts on him, for the way it hugs his biceps, and Veronica distinctly remembers him pulling it over his head before he leaned down to kiss her again._

Now he is clean-shaven and wearing dark blue jeans and a thin navy sweater, the outfit he must have changed into before he met her outside of the school to get their son.

She seems flustered and shakes her head in confusion. "Uh, a shirt and jeans? I don't remember exactly. He was dressed casually."

"Can you describe him?" Veronica asks, baiting her. "Describe him how you would describe a suspect to the police."

Cathy closes her eyes and cradles her jaw in her hand. "Early 30s. Tall, about 6 foot, maybe 175 pounds. Short brown hair spiked up, dark eyes. Beard."

Bingo. Veronica saw him shave with her own eyes, no later than 10:30 in the morning, more than forty-five minutes before he allegedly picked up Keith.

"He seemed agitated," she continues. "I noticed that. He was kind of pulling Keith along angrily. I thought he was just upset over whatever happened. I didn't think anything of it at the time."

_She sounds so rehearsed_, Veronica thinks. It's almost like she's trying to remember her part in a script, trying to hit all of her marks. "You're a goddamn liar," Veronica growls, leaning forward to look Cathy right in the eye.

"Veronica!" Keith yells at her. "Calm down!" He looks over at Cathy, who is now staring at Veronica in shock as she continues to hold her mouth. "We need you to come with us to the station."

Cathy shakes her head, grimacing in pain. "Please, can't it wait a few hours? I just had oral surgery and I'm in so much pain. My medication is starting to kick in and I need to sleep." She closes her eyes dramatically. "I'm no good to you right now. Please just let me sleep for awhile."

Keith huffs in frustration but he knows he can't force her to do anything. "Fine. We'll be in contact. Thanks for your time."

Veronica is looking back at him slack-jawed, unbelieving that her father is just going to walk away from this. "Dad!"

"Let's go," he commands, waving for her to follow him.

"She's lying!" she tells him once they're out of the house. "Logan shaved this morning. I watched him do it. And…and there's just something _off_ about her. That part about Logan being angry? It's like she's trying to set him up or something!"

"Veronica," he says exasperatedly as he spins to face her, "I don't know what to do. I don't. I'm not sure if someone who looked like Logan came and got him or if she's in on it...I just don't know." Her face falls and he reaches out to rub her shoulder. "I need help. I'm going to call for the state police, maybe even the feds. But I won't give up, honey. I promise you I'll find him."

"What am I supposed to do?" she asks, her voice so small it breaks Keith's heart.

"Go home and wait for me to call you." He looks up and over to her car, where Logan is sitting with his head in his hands. "Go take Logan home and wait."

She watches with tears as her father drives away.

--------

Inga is the only one at the station when Keith arrives, all of his deputies out following his orders. He shambles toward his office, already feeling twenty years older than his age.

He's surprised to find that the room isn't empty. "Sheriff," Davis Jenkins greets him darkly, rising from Keith's desk chair. "We need to talk."

"What the hell are you doing in here?" Keith barks, in no mood for another confrontation with the county commissioner.

Davis shakes his head, clearly annoyed. "You didn't honestly think everyone wouldn't know by now, did you?"

"Know what?"

"That Keith Echolls is missing," he says. "And his father is the prime suspect."

"Suspect, huh? Well whoever you get your info from must know more than I do."

"It's a small town, Keith. People talk."

Keith rolls his eyes. "I'm quite familiar with the Neptune rumor mill. But nobody should be condemning Logan yet." He sighs. "I think it's about money. I'm betting we'll hear from the kidnappers soon, about their demands."

"Look, we both know your history with the department. This is your grandson. I think I'm entitled to my concerns."

"My history with this department is that I've worked my ass off for this town!"

Jenkins shakes his head as he purses his thin lips. "I don't think I need to remind you of your lapses in judgment when things get personal. So just know that I've got my eye on you."

Of course, Jenkins has had his eye on him for years, ever since he was reelected sheriff instead of the man Jenkins had endorsed. Keith has been back in uniform for as long as Jenkins has been the county commissioner-five long years- and he knows that Jenkins can hold one hell of a grudge.

"Why don't you stick to cutting ribbons and I'll take care of the hard stuff."

"Mark my words, Keith- if I even think that you're not treating this case fairly, I'll have you out on your ass so fast your head will spin."

"I know my job," he growls.

"Really? Tell me, what part of the protocol says that it's okay for the suspect's wife to go along and question the witness?"

Keith glares at him. "Don't you have anything better to do than keep tabs on me all of the time?"

"The media will be swarming when they hear about this. Either you turn over the case now or you do this by the book. I'm not going to let you humiliate this town again." He starts heading for the door, but turns back to Keith one final time. "It wouldn't really help your grandson if you lost your badge now, would it?"

------

The media is already swarming, as Veronica and Logan find out when they reach their house. It never ceases to amaze Veronica how quickly news can travel in Neptune, a town that loves a scandal and has had more than its fair share.

The frenzy does nothing to help Logan's nerves. He keeps pacing anxiously across the living room as they wait. Veronica is on her laptop, going through recent pictures of Keith for the police, the media, anyone who needs them to help bring him back.

"If someone wanted money, wouldn't they have contacted us by now?" Logan asks, running shaky fingers through his hair.

"I don't know," she tells him absently as she searches through the photos. She's looking at pictures she took only the day before, during his 4th birthday party. They all looked so happy. What a difference 24 hours can make.

She's scrolling through the album when something catches her eye. Even in the thumbnails, Veronica can make out a white vehicle parked on the back street, beyond the black iron fence that surrounds their property. Curiously enough, the car seems to move further down the street as the pictures progress. She clicks on one photo in particular where the car seems to be on prominent display. A closer look tells her that it's a white Chevy Malibu, probably a couple years old. It definitely doesn't belong to one of their neighbors, who all drive expensive and sporty automobiles. Maybe it was one of their guests? She zooms in past Keith's smiling face as he stands in front of the rose bushes and she can make out the first five digits of the front plates.

A loud buzzing sound interrupts her thoughts, and she looks up from her computer screen to see Logan dashing for the front door, muttering more obscenities about the media he hates so much. She follows him outside and sees a sleek silver car waiting at the locked gate.

"Logan Echolls?" a man asks as he emerges from the vehicle, somehow ignoring the flashes from the cameras and the questions being screamed out all around him. "I'm agent Edwards, with the FBI. Can you let me in?"

--------

Agent Benjamin Edwards is a middle-aged African-American man whose kind eyes belie his intimidating size. He sits and listens as Veronica recounts the story of how they went to the school to pickup their child and left devastated. She also tells him about Cathy, about how she thinks the woman is lying and why.

"I think I'm going to head over to her place now and talk to her myself. But I'll check in later, keep you posted." He looks over at Logan, who is sitting motionlessly on the couch. "You know, I'm a good friend of Carla's. We graduated from the Academy together." He glances back at Veronica with a tight smile. "I'm going to do everything I can for you."

Veronica nods, feeling thankful to her old mentor who she tearfully called while waiting on Cathy. "Thank you," she tells him sincerely as she sees him out. "Thank you for listening to me."

--------

As Edwards is leaving, Keith Mars is arriving, with his deputies Sacks and D'Amato in tow. He pulls his cruiser into the drive after Edwards drives out, and Sacks and Leo follow him in their own cars. "You even move an inch past this gate and I'll arrest you for trespassing!" he warns the swarm of people surrounding his car.

Inside, he doesn't pull any punches. "We need to search the house, Veronica."

"What?" she asks, confused. "Why?" There wouldn't be anything in the house. If her suspicions are correct and somebody is trying to set up Logan for something, they never would have been able to get into their house. Their home alarm system is state of the art, something that Logan had put money into years before, and even more secure than the security system at the gate that came with the property.

"Because it's what'd I do if it was anybody else," he mutters, turning his attention to the other officers. "You guys search in here. Carl is on his way and he'll look around outside." He moves away from them then, making his way to the kitchen. "I'll start downstairs."

"How can you do this?" Veronica questions as she follows him out of the room.

"Do you want to see the search warrant?" he asks, not bothering to turn around.

She rolls her eyes, angry with her father for wasting time, and storms back into the living room. Logan is still sitting on the couch, but he's looking up at her with wide-eyes, his mouth hanging open in surprise, and Leo and Sacks are awkwardly standing off to the side.

"There's nothing here," she tells them confidently.

"We won't make a mess, Veronica," Sacks promises, his voice meek. They both leave to start their search, and Veronica collapses helplessly into a nearby chair.

"Does he think I had something to do with this?" Logan asks weakly.

She rushes to reassure him. "He can't. There's just something _off_ about all of this. He's probably just following protocol."

Logan jumps from his seat then, pacing once more. He reminds Veronica of a caged animal, and she's worried that he's going to lose control soon and it'll be like he's an angry 17-year-old again.

"Please calm down," she begs. "Just sit with me."

He sighs but does as she asked.

"What did you do while I was at the office? Is there anyone who can vouch for us?"

"Showered and changed," he says, rubbing his forehead. "Cleaned up around the house. I did some research for Mac, about the Google buyout she asked me about yesterday. By then it was time to leave and I walked to the school."

They wait for almost 45 minutes as their home is searched. More officers arrive, even a couple more Feds, and they're forced to repeat their story over and over again. Everything happening around them only makes the situation more nerve-wracking. So many strangers milling about, crackling voices over the walkies, people talking loudly on their cells. It's like their home is no longer theirs.

"Sheriff Mars?" a deputy, Veronica thinks his name is Carl, calls out, bursting into the house. "Sheriff, you need to come outside."

Veronica and Logan look up in confusion at the sudden commotion, and they both move to follow her father out the door.

"I found some blood underneath the driver's side door handle," Carl explains, pointing to Logan's Lexus, which has been parked outside since the party the day before. "I couldn't get any prints, but I swabbed it." He takes a deep breath and looks over at another deputy. "And Jeff…Jeff found that in some bushes alongside the house."

Jeff solemnly walks over to Keith and hands him a large plastic baggy holding little Keith's school jacket, which is absolutely soaked in blood.

---------

"Ms. Simpson? I'm Agent Edwards with the FBI. I want to talk to you about Keith Echolls."

She lets him in, making a show about her tooth as she complains about pain pills and needing to sleep, but she answers all of his questions. Her story is just as Veronica described, and he notices that she uses a lot of the same words and sentences. _Agitated. I didn't think anything of it at the time._

After she finishes talking, Edwards politely asks if he can use her bathroom. She points to the upstairs, tells him it's the first door on the left, and he smiles gratefully.

He climbs up the steps slowly, the extra forty pounds he's carrying around making the activity laborious. When he hits the top landing, he walks right past the bathroom and peers down the hall. A bedroom door is wide open, and Edwards pokes his head in but doesn't actually step foot into the room.

"Thanks for your time," he tells her once he's back downstairs. "You'll still need to come to the station later, but you should get some rest first."

"Thank you. I will."

"I mean…you're not planning on _going_ anywhere, right?" he asks her.

"Of course not," she says, and Edwards can tell he's rattling her.

"I just…I happened to see an open suitcase on your bed. I didn't know if you were planning a trip or anything." He laughs at her look of surprise. "I'm sorry, M'am. Rude, I know, but it's just the investigator in me. I guess I'm a natural born snoop."

"It's for my niece," she says after a moment. "She left for college last week and I'm still packing up her things for her."

"Your niece, huh? She lives with you?" His tone is happy and light, like he's simply trying to make some friendly conversation.

"She did, before she left. I've been her guardian for the past three years."

"They grow up quick, don't they? I got a couple of kids in college myself. Where's she going?"

"Boston College," she tells him, once again reaching up to cup her jaw.

Edwards whistles and then breaks into a wide grin. "Great school, but those east coast colleges are _so_ expensive."

"Yeah," she agrees, reaching behind him to open her door. "I'd love to talk more, but I'm really tired. I'll come down to the station later."

"I look forward to seeing you again," he smiles, turning to leave. "Feel better real soon."

He walks back to his car and pulls out his cell to call another agent who was headed for the Echolls house. "It's Edwards. Hey, can you get the sheriff to have one of his deputies come and stakeout this Cathy Simpson's home? I think she's gonna try to make a run for it."

"Yeah, but it'll probably be awhile. All hell just broke loose here."

"What's going on?"

"A couple of the cops found the kid's jacket outside of the house. It's got blood all over it."

"Did they send it out for testing?"

"Yeah, the local hospital can do it. I've got a rush on it. But it doesn't look good. There was blood on the father's car, too."

Edwards sighs at the unexpected turn of events and wonders just how Cathy Simpson fits into it all. "Okay, do what you can. I'm going to wait here until you get someone to takeover, then I'll head to the hospital and wait for the results."

He settles in his seat and watches Cathy's house. He definitely agrees with Veronica that she is hiding something, and while he doesn't know Veronica personally, he trusts Carla's judgment that Veronica knows what she's doing. But then again, Carla probably just sees herself in the younger woman. Not that that was necessarily a bad thing, but maybe it colored her judgment. When Carla had called Edwards and told him about the case, and how the mother involved was a former Fed herself, he decided to do a little digging. Veronica's record showed that she was written up at least five times, and her evaluations seemed to indicate that she clashed with a lot of her coworkers and supervisors. Considering her sketchy history and the lengths certain people went through to get Veronica in the program in the first place, those were all big no-noes. If she hadn't had packed her bags herself, someone else probably would have done it for her.

But that doesn't mean she's a bad investigator. Not everyone is cut out for life in the Bureau.

He's also familiar with Logan Echolls. Who wasn't after the Lilly Kane murder? And he's not ready to rule him out just yet. It's been over six hours since Keith went missing, and they hadn't heard from the kidnappers, which means that he probably wasn't taken for ransom. The blood changes everything, too. Edwards has worked in the FBI for over 25 years, and he's seen enough to know that things don't look good for the little boy now.

But still…he's just not buying it. Could something have set Logan Echolls off, pushed him to the point that he could harm (kill?) his own child? Definitely a possibility. But then why is Cathy Simpson acting so strangely? Surely her tells aren't just a side-effect from recent dental work. Edwards has seen enough liars in his lifetime to know when someone is trying to hide something.

He thinks about what Veronica said about the beard and how she saw him shave herself. But Veronica was also unaccounted for during Keith's disappearance. Maybe they're in on it together, trying to garner sympathy as bereft parents whose little boy was snagged from them. It wouldn't be the first time Edwards saw that.

But that doesn't make any sense, either, and, bottom line, Edwards doesn't believe it. Something in his gut is telling him that neither parent is involved in this. It's got to be a setup somehow.

He mulls over as many scenarios as possible in the two hours he has to wait for relief. A Deputy Carl knocks on his window and lets him know he's taking over, so Edwards drives to Neptune General to wait out the DNA tests.

------

A flash of the badge grants him access to the main lab, and he's surprised to find it empty save for one worker. She's cleaning up her workbench when he approaches her and introduces himself.

Her name is Dr. Miranda Kelley ("_PhD_, not MD," she tells him) and she's strikingly beautiful. He asks her if it's okay for him to be there and she dismisses his concern with a wave of her hand.

She turns to wash her hands, and Edwards, whose personal motto is to always keep your eyes open, glances over her work area. The evidence, both the jacket and the swab sample from the car, are back in plastic bags after being tested, and there are various tubes and conical vials in a couple of racks. One test tube is off to the side, though, and that catches his eye. It appears to be filled halfway with blood, and he moves in for a closer look. Beneath what appears to be an accession number, it's labeled, _Echolls, Keith. A-, 08/12/19_.

"Excuse me," she says, moving past him to reach for that tube and several others, which she then discards into a biohazard container. "I know I should clean up as I go along but I'm naturally messy," she tells him with a grin.

Edwards smiles back at her. "So are you comparing these to samples from the parents?"

"No. The FBI's National Database."

He's not surprised that a former Fed would bank her child's information. "Are you almost done?"

"Just finished, actually," she says, handing him several papers. "Both are a match. Such a shame."

"Yeah," he replies, looking back at the evidence. "It most certainly is."

Miranda continues to clean up as Edwards looks over the papers filled with a bunch of jargon he still doesn't fully understand even after all these years. "So do you know Logan or Veronica?" he asks offhandedly as he peruses the results. He looks up to see her regarding him strangely. "You know, small town, and they both seem to have quite a bit of history here."

"No," she says, turning away to wipe at her bench. "I know _of_ them, but everyone does."

"You seem about their age. Did you grow up around here?"

"Yeah," she says, throwing away more tubes. "But I went to Pan High. A completely different social circle."

"So you never met them?"

"No," she repeats, a bit defensive this time.

Edwards shrugs. "Just trying to find out anything I can about them."

"I wish I could help, but I don't know anything. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to get going. I was supposed to be off an hour ago but I volunteered to finish this."

"I appreciate it," he says, gathering the reports and the evidence. "I'll take care of all of this. Have a good night."

As he exits the building, he pulls out his cell again. "Both the blood from the jacket and the car are a match from the database. I'm going to drop the evidence off at the station for now, but I want them retested at a different lab tomorrow."

--------

Keith hangs up his phone and closes his eyes. He feels like he's moving through a dream, or, more specifically, a nightmare. It takes all of his strength to not lose it completely when he looks his daughter in her eyes and tells her that it is her son's blood.

The next few minutes pass by Veronica in a blur. She's frozen in her spot, unable to move or speak. Logan already had to be restrained earlier when they found the jacket, and now he just sits beside her and weeps.

_No,_ she thinks. _NO! This isn't right._ She carried him inside of her for the longest 41 weeks of her life. She kept him nourished with her own body, sung him to sleep almost every night, never spent more than a workday away from him. She's connected to him in ways that she thought she could never be connected to another human being, and she knows, somehow, and with every fiber of her being, that he's alive. That's he's okay. She's _knows_ this, even if she doesn't know how she knows.

"Logan," Keith says softly as he tries to hold in his own tears. "I'm going to have to place you under arrest."

"_What?_" Veronica cries, jumping up from her seat. "You can't. You can't do that!"

Keith can't even look at her. "Leo," he says, motioning to Logan. "Please."

Leo moves slowly toward him, saddened for everyone involved. "Logan, I'm sorry, but you need to come with me."

Logan doesn't resist as Leo gently pulls him out of his seat. Leo reaches for his handcuffs but stops. He just can't do that to him now.

"How can you do this?" Veronica sobs as Leo starts reading Logan his rights. She looks over at her father then and it physically hurts him to see her in so much pain.

"Veronica-"

"Don't. Just…don't."

"You have to understand-"

"I **hate** you for this." She's looking at him with so much contempt that it stuns him.

As Leo starts leading Logan toward the door, she rushes up to them and throws her arms around Logan as she sobs against his chest. He buries his face in the crook of her neck but he doesn't try to pull away from Leo in order to return the embrace.

"I love you, okay?" she says as she pulls back. "I'm going to fix this."

He just stares back at her with empty, red-rimmed eyes and then Leo is nudging him towards the door and out of their home.


	9. Chapter 8

It's nearly one in the morning when Veronica finally leaves the interrogation room, where she spent hours repeating her story and answering questions for anyone who demanded it. She passes by her father's office on her way to the main desk, and she notices the light seeping out from underneath the bottom of the door. She's glad that he's in there and not anywhere she could run into him; she's not ready to face him yet. Not while Logan is still sitting behind bars.

"Hey," she whispers to Leo, who is at Inga's desk and reading over a report. "Can I see Logan?"

Leo looks up at Veronica and then over to Keith's office, where the door is still shut. He nods solemnly; grabbing his keys to the cells, he leads her down the hallway to where her husband has been laying catatonic for almost five hours.

"He must've finally fallen asleep."

Veronica rests her head against the bars and stares pitifully at Logan's sleeping form. "Do you want me to unlock it?" Leo asks, and she shakes her head.

"Let him rest. The less he's awake for this, the better." She turns away from the cell then and Leo moves to follow her.

"Do you need a ride?"

"I drove here myself. But thanks." If she's not going to be able to talk to Logan, then she doesn't want to spend another minute at the station. She's making her way out of the building when Leo stops her again.

"Do you want one of us to go with you? Help fend off the reporters?"

"I can handle it," she mumbles, staring down at her feet.

"What are you going to do when you get home, Veronica?" he asks sadly.

She looks up at him then and shrugs. "I'm going to do what I do."

He knows exactly what she means, and he finds himself looking back at Keith's office door again. "They're closing the school for tomorrow," he informs her, his voice low. "We already got statements from all of his teachers, so I'd start with them if you don't want to risk running into your dad."

She tries to smile but she can't muster the energy. "Thanks, Leo."

He nods and watches quietly as she leaves to start her own investigation.

---------

The late hour hasn't done much to deter most of the media still hanging around her gate as she pulls up in her car. She grips the steering wheel tightly, willing herself the strength to handle them and their obnoxious inquiries.

Their once muffled cries ring loud and clear as soon as she lowers her car window. She tries not to pay any attention to them as she leans out to discreetly punch in the security code, but the repeated question of, "Do you think Logan did it?" finally sets her off.

"No," she answers firmly, tears stinging her eyes. "I _know_ he would never hurt Keith."

"What about the jacket? And reports that his blood was found on Logan's car?" one man asks.

Veronica stares straight ahead, dazedly watching as the gate slowly opens. She wants to ignore them, but she only drives forward about a foot before slamming on the breaks, and one reporter hurriedly holds out a microphone in anticipation of a statement.

"I know Logan didn't do this," she says softly. "And I really think that Keith is out there somewhere and he's okay. And if anybody has seen him or knows anything, please, _please_ come forward so we can bring him home." With that, she wipes at her eyes and drives through the gate, their pleas for follow-ups falling on deaf ears.

---------

Their home is empty, dark and eerily quiet. She turns on as many lights as she can, but nothing helps. She feels like a stranger there now.

So she goes to the large home office that she shares with Logan and takes a seat at the computer desk, tired but determined. Her throat is parched, her mouth like cotton, and she realizes that she hasn't had anything to eat or drink since her afternoon coffee. But she won't even consider a glass of water now. Not when she doesn't know if Keith has something to drink, wherever he is.

_Focus_, she scolds herself. She had already decided that her main objective is to find out more about Cathy, who she is convinced is behind this somehow, and so the first order of business is a good old-fashioned background check. Maybe her father forgot to do it in his rush to arrest Logan, she thinks bitterly. So she stares numbly at the blank computer screen while she waits for it to boot up, and within seconds her mind is wandering again.

It was just this afternoon when she was last doing background checks and allowing herself to daydream a little. She had wondered what it would be like to be pregnant again, how it would feel to actually be comfortable with herself and the baby this time around. She had thought about how adorable Keith would be with a little brother or sister, and how Logan probably wanted a little girl this time, and maybe she did, too. She had let herself feel comfortable and secure and _happy_ and that was probably akin to kicking off the other shoe herself.

The ping from the antivirus software shakes her from her reverie. She closes that out, wondering how she's supposed to care about renewing their subscription within 30 days when she doesn't even know what tomorrow will bring.

_C'mon, __**focus**_. She needs to find out everything she can about one Cathy Simpson of 473 Wilshire Lane.

---------

Forty minutes later and…nothing. She's exhausted every resource she has available to her and she can't find a speck of dirt on the woman. Not so much as a parking ticket on file.

She closes out of her software and double clicks on the web browser. She checks Ritchfield's site first, clicking on the sidebar link _Meet Our Staff_. Unfortunately they seem as lax about their website as they are with security, and she's redirected to a page informing her that the section is currently under construction. She sighs and hits the back browser to the main page, skimming over some of the information about the school. _Opened in 1964…Financial aid available to those who qualify._ She scrolls down and is shocked to see Jake Kane's face staring back at her. _Notable Alumni._

Well, that makes sense, she thinks, remembering that both Duncan and Lilly attended Ritchfield. She met Lilly when she was an incoming freshman at Neptune and Veronica was a lowly 8th grader and the two shared a study hall. For some reason she still doesn't understand, they clicked and soon were the best of friends, always passing notes and laughing together at lunch. Duncan was still at Ritchfield then, and Veronica only really got to know him when he started at Neptune in the 9th grade. They got together at the spring dance that year, and thus started the downward spiral that was her high school experience.

Ritchfield. It makes her think that this is all her fault. Veronica was the one who insisted on that damn school, adamant that it would be a good experience for Keith and completely disregarding Logan's wishes to keep him at home for another year. At home, where he was always safe…

_Cathy Simpson. Focus on Cathy Simpson._ She's quickly running out of options, so she decides on a simple Google search. It's at least worth a shot.

Unfortunately the name is a common one and yields far too many hits, and the search for her name and address turn up empty. Veronica feels like she can barely keep her eyes open, and she's frustrated with herself for falling apart the one time it really counts.

The clock on the computer tells her that it's quarter to three, far too late now to call anyone from Ritchfield. But if her probe on Cathy is going to be delayed until tomorrow, she's going to have to find something else to concentrate on for now, unless she wants to risk total insanity.

She remembers her laptop still sitting on the coffee table in the living room, and the seemingly suspicious white Chevy in some of the photos. It wouldn't hurt to run a quick check on the license plate…

It takes fifteen minutes to narrow down the search, and there are only two white Chevy Malibus with California plates starting with JK74F. One, a 2008 model, belongs to an 84-year-old woman in Burney. The other newer one is registered to Travis Maloney of Irvine, and a quick internet search of the name and city leads her to his business website for private investigation.

A fellow gumshoe who lives more than 70 miles away popping up on her street the day before her son goes missing? Not something she's ready to write-off as a coincidence.

She's frustrated and exhausted, both physically and emotionally, and she doesn't know what to make of all of this. She rests her head on the desk and tries to concentrate on her breathing, promising herself that she'll only close her eyes for a minute. Just for a minute…

---------

The numbing tingle in her right forearm is what wakes her, and she lifts her head wearily as she tries to remember why she's not in bed. When everything comes screaming back at her, she wants to cry.

It's only a little after 8 a.m., and she rubs at her eyes as she tries to gather herself. Maybe she can call someone from the school now to ask them about Cathy. With Ritchfield being shut down for the day, everyone should be at home, and she has the list of contact information for all of Keith's teachers.

She reaches into the filing cabinet at her left side and searches through the stacks of paper from the school. When she finds the one she's looking for, she wonders how she ever missed that Bonnie was one of the TAs.

Bonnie might be able to help, she thinks, already reaching for the phone. Veronica had tried her best to help Bonnie when she had lost her baby, and it was through her investigating that she found out her roommate was the one responsible.

But, she remembers sadly, Bonnie was also dating Tim Foyle at that time, and Veronica was the one who helped put him behind bars for the dean's murder. What if Bonnie still held a grudge? Hell, what if Bonnie was in on it, too?

Well, then she definitely wants to talk to her. So she dials.

"Hello?" a voice picks up after the second ring.

"Bonnie? It's Veronica. Veronica Mars?" She tries her best to keep her voice steady even as her hands shake.

"Veronica! Oh goodness, have you heard anything?" Bonnie _does_ sound genuinely concerned, but Veronica remains suspicious.

"No, nothing yet. That's why I wanted to talk to you. I wanted to ask you about the one secretary, Cathy. Can you tell me anything about her?"

There's a pause as Bonnie mulls over the question. "Not really. I just started there last year and I don't know her too well. But we talked sometimes and she always seemed nice."

"You can't think of anything?" she asks desperately.

"Well," she says, thinking. "She's a widow. Her husband died of cancer last year. And I know she lives with her niece, Isabella. She's always talking about her niece."

"That's it?" Veronica presses.

"I'm sorry," she says regretfully. "I really, really wish I could help you more, but that's all I know. Casey probably knows her a lot better. Do you want her number?"

"No thanks," Veronica sighs. "I already have it."

"If there's anything I can do, anything else I might be able to help you with more, I'll do everything I can. Just call, okay?"

"I will," she promises, relaxing a little. "Thanks." She hangs up then, and she's considering calling Miss Burke when she decides to try a search for Cathy and her niece.

She types in _"Cathy Simpson" + Isabella + Neptune_ in the search box and clicks. The very first hit is a link to a graduation announcement posted on in May. Veronica reads over it but nothing stands out, so she searches through more links. Further down the page is a link to an online obituary for Mark DeCaro, and Veronica practically breaks her finger in her rush to double click.

_**Mark Thomas DeCaro  
03/18/2016**_

_Mark Thomas DeCaro, 42, of 639 Harmony Road, Neptune, died Friday night at his residence._

_Mark, known to many as "Marco the Magnificent", was a beloved local entertainer and magician. He is survived by his daughter, Isabella, and two sisters, Gail DeCaro of Modesto and Cathy Simpson of Neptune. He was preceded in death by his parents, Betty and Paul DeCaro, both of San Diego.._

_Friends will be received Sunday from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. at the Davis Funeral Home and Crematory, 981 Mill Street, where a service will be held on Monday at 10 a.m. with the Rev. Richard Mulligan officiating._

_Burial will be in Neptune Cemetery._

Veronica feels like she can't breath as she reads over the words, and she's immediately taken back to the moment more than three years earlier when her father broke the news to her. She's not surprised that the obituary didn't mention Camille, even though everyone in Neptune knew exactly what happened.

She frantically digs into the pocket of her jeans for the business card Edwards gave her the night before _If you remember anything else, or even if you just want to talk, don't hesitate to call me…_ and then she quickly dials his cell.

"Edwards."

"It's Veronica," she sputters, her pulse racing. She barely knows where to start, so she just blurts out the story about Camille and Mark and how she was involved, and then tells him that she found out that Cathy is his sister and raising his daughter. He listens patiently to her explanation, and when she finishes, Veronica is anxious to hear him say something, _anything_, about what they can do now.

"Well?" she pleads to his silence.

She can hear him slowly exhale, his breath a crackle over the phone. "Well…I guess that could be a factor."

"What do you mean? Of course it is. Why else would she lie?"

"I've been checking up on info about Cathy all night long, Veronica. I just got off the phone with an assistant director of financial aid at Boston College, that's where her niece is now, and she told me that Isabella had received a substantial aid package, but that last month her tuition, room and board…everything for the next four years was paid in full by her aunt."

Veronica closes her eyes and sighs. "You think someone paid her off."

"It looks that way, yes."

"Then why don't you bring her in?" she snaps, her patience long gone. "You know she'd crack eventually."

"Because she's gone," he bites back. "The deputy who was stationed outside of her house fell asleep and when he woke up she was gone."

She can feel her throat tightening, the frustration of this one-step-forward-two-steps-back puzzle nearly bringing her to tears. She just wants her son to come home. "So what do we do now?" she asks as she tries to keep her voice steady.

"There was a breakthrough in another case I'm working on, and I have to meet my partner in LA, so I'm on my way there now. But I'll be back later this afternoon and I'm going to take the evidence to a crime lab in San Diego to be retested."

"You need to do that today?" she sniffles. She's not sure why, but she feels better with Edwards on the case and she wants him in Neptune, working to find Keith.

"Yeah, I do." He pauses for a few seconds, hesitant with his next question. "Veronica, do you know a Miranda Kelley?"

She doesn't recognize the name. "No. Why?"

"Do you know if Logan would know her?" he presses.

"I don't know. I've never heard of her though. Why?" she asks again.

With Cathy taking off after an apparent payoff, Edwards is convinced that this is an elaborate plan orchestrated to frame Logan Echolls for his son's disappearance. But until he knows for sure that the blood on the jacket and car isn't Keith's, he won't risk raising Veronica's hopes. "It's nothing," he tells her. "I don't know how long I'll be in Los Angeles, but I shouldn't get back to Neptune any later than five. I'll have my cell with me though if you need anything else."

She thanks him before they disconnect, and then she lays her head back down on the desk and finally allows herself to cry.

---------

"Veronica?"

She feels a hand at her shoulder, gently shaking her, and suddenly she's awake and jumping back in her seat. "What?" she asks, looking around in confusion. "What's going on?"

Mac is standing across from her, on the other side of the desk, looking every bit as tired as Veronica. "I'm sorry. I got here as soon as I could."

When the cloud of sleep lifts and her thoughts clear, she flies out of the chair in a panic. "Oh god, what time is it?"

"Almost 11," Mac tells her gently. "Have you been sleeping here all night?"

Veronica shakes her head, her hands covering her face, and Mac moves to sit on the edge of the desk. "I've been trying to treat this like a case," Veronica says, her words muffled against her palms. She rubs at her eyes and then looks at her best friend. "I don't know what to do though," she admits with a choked voice. "It's _Keith_ and I don't know what to do!"

"Maybe I can help," Mac says desperately. "Is there anything _I_ can do?"

"I don't think so. I don't know."

"Did…did your dad really arrest Logan?" she asks tentatively. Veronica nods and Mac mutters something about the ridiculousness of the situation. "I should have been here," she says. "I'm sorry. The earliest flight back was this morning."

"How did you even make it past the paparazzi?" Veronica asks.

Mac shrugs. "They're already gone. Britney Spears is involved in some high-speed chase in LA and so I guess the priorities changed."

Veronica groans. While it's nice to know that she can now leave her home without a hassle, she's not sure if the media's fickleness is a good thing. Since they're not dealing with a ransom, the more attention the story has, the better it is for them and the worse off the kidnapper will be.

"Tell me what's going on," Mac asks pleadingly. "Maybe there's something there I can help you with. Anything."

So Veronica tells her all she knows, about Cathy's story and the evidence, about the arrest. She explains how she's connected to Cathy, who is now MIA, and she admits that she's at a loss right now, that there are too many balls in the air and she doesn't know what to do.

"You don't have any idea who could be behind this?" Mac entreats. "Who could hate Logan enough to want to do something like this? And who would have enough money to buy someone off so they could do it?"

"I honestly don't know. I'd say it could be a bad business deal but Logan hasn't been involved in anything big since Keith was born."

"Well, maybe it is something like that and you didn't know about it?" she speculates. "I mean, if they got this woman involved, it'd have to be a serious plan. They'd have to be keeping their eyes on you. Has anything suspicious happened lately? Have you noticed anyone hanging around?"

It's right then that Veronica realizes how grateful she is to have Mac there, someone to help her out while Logan's gone, someone to ask all the right questions while her _mind_ is gone. "The PI," she says, quickly moving to the computer to bring up his site. "I was going through pictures from Keith's birthday party and I noticed this car in the background in a lot of photos. I tracked the plates to a PI in Irvine." She shows Mac his website.

"Maybe he's working for whoever's behind this?" she ventures, examining his page herself. "Did you call him?"

"No," Veronica answers, already grabbing for the phone. She looks over Mac's shoulder to read his contact information on the site, and finds his phone number listed right below his email. It rings four times before going to voicemail, and Veronica hangs up. "No answer."

"His email is through his web host," Mac tells her. "I bet I could hack into it in no time. Worth a shot?"

"Try it. Anything could help."

Mac digs through her bag for her password decryption software and other tools, which she carries with her like an American Express card. They sit together in silence as Mac sets everything up. "You know, there's a search party out there," Mac adds offhandedly.

Veronica had been staring off into space, her lack of proper sleep really starting to catch up with her. "What?"

"I think a lot of people saw you on the news last night and they want to help. I even saw some people from high school and Hearst out there."

Veronica stares back at Mac as she tries to process the idea of her peers ever wanting to help her with anything. "Like who?" she asks weakly.

Mac bites her lip. "Like Wallace."

Wallace. Veronica knew that he lived right outside of Neptune, but the fates had been cruel and their paths hadn't crossed since college.

"He's on your street. Said that he was going to pass out flyers, talk to your neighbors. He just wants to do something."

"He's here?" she asks, nervously fiddling with the sleeve of her jacket.

"Yeah," Mac answers with a soft smile. "And this is going to take me a little while, so if you want to take a walk, stretch a little…"

Veronica smiles back at her with sad eyes before she turns to leave.

Outside, the media seems to be gone, but their ritzy neighborhood isn't as empty as it normally would be at this time of day. There's a woman across the street instructing a small group on where they should go, and there's also a man talking to one of her neighbors as he holds a stack of flyers in his arm. Veronica opens the security gate and slips through so she can get a better look at him. It'd been years since she saw him in person, and it feels like forever since she spoke to him briefly as he poked his head outside of his classroom door, but she still recognizes Charlie Stone. She doesn't approach him because she's not sure what she would say, so she walks along the sidewalk and looks for Wallace.

She stops suddenly when she finally spots him about three sprawling mansions down. He's walking back from the McHale house, apparently turned away at the gate, when he notices her too.

"Hey," she manages, quickening her pace to catch up with him, and he meets her halfway with a serious face she's afraid she can no longer read. He's dressed in a collared shirt and khakis, with his hair cut very short. Veronica looks him over and feebly thinks about how he looks like an adult now. _It's been ten years since we talked. He _is_ an adult now._

"Hey." He watches her with concerned eyes, like he's expecting her to break at any moment and crumble into a thousand tiny pieces all over the cement. Maybe she will.

"Mac said you were out here with a bunch of people to help look for Keith."

Wallace nods, reaching into his back pocket for one of the folded flyers that are being passed around. He hands it to Veronica and she looks down to see a picture of Keith smiling shyly in front of the school; it's one of the many photos she took only the day before, and it has been buzzing all over the AP wire since she released it last night.

"I know that everyone's probably seen this on the news and everything, but I didn't know what else to do. We're trying to talk to people, see if anyone saw anything and asking them to keep their eyes open. We just wanted to do _something_."

She nods, her head down. "Thank you."

"How are you holding up?" he asks, ducking to look her in the eye.

She tries to wave off the question with a shrug. She doesn't want to cry again, doesn't know where she could find the strength to cry again. "Wallace," she says quietly, "about what happened with us…I'm so, so sorry."

"No," he says with a tight voice. "You don't have to do that right now. It was a long time ago, we were both young. I didn't handle it right either."

She shakes her head, overwhelmed. "You were the best friend I ever had," she tells him, the tears falling freely now. She wipes them away, embarrassed, and tries to smile. "And I don't even know what's going on with you now. How are you? How's Natalie?"

He smiles back at her in understanding. "We're real good. Chris will be ten in January, and we have Sasha now, too. She just turned five in June."

She wishes she could feel genuine happiness right now, because nobody is more deserving than Wallace, but she can only manage to stand there awkwardly. He knows she wants to say something but is at a loss for words, so he does what he wanted to do since the second he saw her and pulls her into a strong hug.

Veronica sags against him, the damn breaking now as she weeps, her hot tears slick against his neck as he runs a soothing hand up and down her back. He holds her tightly and lets her cry. "Maybe we can all get together after you get Keith back, okay?" he whispers against her hair. "Sasha would like a new friend."

"I'd really love that," she hiccups, pulling back from him in a bid to compose herself.

"Veronica? Veronica!"

She hears her name being screamed from some direction and turns to see Mac running toward her. "Veronica!" she pants as she nears, "you have to see this. Hurry."

--------

Keith Mars has been up all night and it shows. It shows on his face, with his afternoon stubble and the dark circles under his lifeless eyes. It shows in his walk, his tired muscles fighting him with each step as his back curves in pain. And it shows in his demeanor, in the way he can't quite meet anyone's eyes or gather enough patience to listen to their thoughts or answer their questions.

He stays behind closed doors for most of the time, and Sacks and Leo and the other officers who have been pulling double duty know not to bother him. He's been in a particularly foul mood with his deputies since Carl had to sheepishly admit his mistake that cost them the only real lead they had, and after that breaking point the entire station is waiting to see what he'll do next.

So everyone watches with bated breath when he finally emerges from his office and heads straight down the hall to the line of jail cells, where there is only one person behind any of the bars.

Logan is on his back, his knees raised, feet flat on the bare mattress, and his head covered by his arm draped across his face. He's been like this for hours.

"Logan?" he calls somberly, the keys for the cell in his hand. Logan flinches at the sound of Keith's voice, probably expecting Leo or Sacks, who were both taking turns checking in on him on an annoyingly regular schedule.

He raises his head to look at his father-in-law, and Keith can see how afraid he is. "There's no news," he's quick to reassure him, and Logan falls back against the mattress, relieved that there's still hope but always aching with worry.

Keith unlocks the cell and shuts it behind him. He wishes that he could say he never doubted Logan's innocence but that would be a lie. Although their relationship had defrosted significantly over the years, Keith could never fully forget their history or Logan's history, and there was a moment, at least for a second, when he wondered if Logan might have done it. He hates himself for it now, hates that such a miniscule amount of doubt kept him from reassuring his daughter when she needed it the most, but what was done is done.

He's still not sure what he plans on saying to Logan, and now the two are crowded together in an 8x8 room and a confrontation is inevitable. "I want you to know that I had to do this," he begins, figuring this explanation was as good as any. "If I didn't treat this like I would any other case, then Jenkins would have my badge. And I couldn't let him do that with Keith gone."

"I just want him to be okay," Logan says, once again covering his face. "That's all I care about right now."

Keith nods, turning to leave. "I'll let you know if we hear anything." He looks back at him one more time and sees the way Logan's body quietly shakes as he tries to muffle his cries. Pretending not to have noticed, Keith locks the cell and walks back to his office.

--------

"You have to see these emails," Mac explains as they rush back into the house. "I didn't read through _all_ of them, but they definitely mean something."

She turns the laptop around and hands it to Veronica. "This is the earliest one I could find, from February."

_To: Travis Maloney  
From: Dick Casablancas  
_

_Subject: Re: Zoo Photos_

_don't know, man. he talks aboutt him all the time anyway so whatever. i can try and get more pics later._

_Dick,_

_If you asked for more pictures from the zoo, do you think Logan would be suspicious? My client wants more but discretion is paramount._

_Thanks,  
Travis_

Mac waits for Veronica to finish reading it over and then she takes back the computer to scroll to another message. "Dick emailed him a few weeks later. It's just an attachment with photos of Keith. There are a couple of them like that. But here's one from late July, when Dick mentions Ritchfield."

_To: Travis Maloney  
From: Dick Casablancas  
_

_Subject: Re: Keith Echolls_

_logan was pissed at me for taking off but i talked ot him last week. he said he was going to start school soon cause of veronica. richfield, i guess, but hes not to happy about it._

_Dick,_

_You haven't called. Talked to Logan lately? I'd really appreciate any updates on Keith._

_Thanks again,  
Travis_

Veronica's blunt fingernails dig into her palms as she reads over everything. She'll kill him. Honest to god, she'll _kill_ him.

"And this is the last one," Mac tells her. "It mentions you."

_To: Travis Maloney  
From: Dick Casablancas  
_

_Subject: Re: Birthday Party_

_so logan can think i want something to beat off to? get them yourself._

_Dick,_

_I would really, really appreciate it if you could get some photos of Veronica with Keith or just Veronica this time. I'll up the payment by half._

_Thanks,  
Travis_

"I'm gonna go," Veronica announces, jumping from the couch and grabbing her purse and keys. Her tears are dry now and an old but very welcome feeling has returned to the pit of her stomach. She's _pissed_ and quite eager to come face-to-face with one of her least favorite people. "Can you stay here and read through all of the rest and call me if there's anything there?"

"Where are you going?" Mac asks anxiously.

"Oh, I'm just going to go kill Dick. I won't be long," she says, her foot already out the door.

---------

Dick was back at the Neptune Grand, where Logan had tracked him down shortly after he'd discovered that Dick had disappeared from LA. It sickens Veronica to remember how worried and upset Logan had been when he didn't know what had happened to his oldest friend. How the hell could Dick do this to them? It's a low blow even by his standards.

She marches straight through the lobby and to the elevator, where she punches the button for the penthouse. Apparently it is nothing but the best for Mr. Casablancas. She idly wonders what he did with the money he made from exploiting her now missing son.

When she's finally at the door to his suite, she pounds against the wood with the side of her fist, knocking relentlessly until he finally answers. She doesn't even wait for the door to fully open before she's pushing past him to enter the room.

"Who the _hell_ do you think you are?" she growls, spinning to face him.

There's no real humor behind his bloodshot eyes, but he still smiles at her stupidly. "Is this like the game I play with Logan? Okay, I'll bite. I'm Dick Casablancas, and I'm an alcoholic."

"You're going to tell me _everything_ you know or I swear I'll cut off every appendage from your body, starting with your shortest and favorite."

She's only inches away, pointing at him angrily, and Dick laughs as he pretends to nip at her index finger with his teeth. "Mm, I love it when you get rough."

_And that's my breaking point,_ she thinks, reaching out with her open palm to grab his balls, which she twists roughly with a flick of her wrist. Dick buckles before her, a strangled cry of pain and surprise the only sound he can manage.

"What the _fuck_ Veronica?" he whimpers a moment later.

"Just be thankful I no longer carry a taser."

He tries to stand but falls back to his knees. "Tell me about Travis Maloney," Veronica demands, standing in front of him with her hands on her hips.

"Who?" he cries, clutching at his groin.

Veronica crouches down so she can look him straight in the eye. "Do I really look like someone you want to piss off right now?" she asks, her jaw clenched. He shakes his head like a scared little boy, so she repeats her question.

"He's some guy I talk to on the phone sometimes. He asks me about Keith and gives me money. I don't know who he is."

"Who's he working for? Did he ever give you a name?"

"I don't know," Dick groans as he slowly rises to his feet. "He doesn't tell me stuff."

"Did you help him take Keith?" she asks him, her voice shaking with anger.

His brow furrows in confusion. "What? Keith's gone?"

"Not sober enough to turn on the TV? He's been missing since yesterday. They arrested Logan for it."

His face falls. "What?"

Veronica rolls her eyes, turning away from him. She doesn't have time for this. If he really doesn't know anything, then her only hope is going to Maloney herself and forcing the information from him. She pulls her bag over her shoulder and heads for the door, and her hand is on the knob when she decides to confront Dick, if only for her husband's sake. "How could you do this to Logan?" she asks, her back still turned.

She can hear him sigh. "I don't know," he finally answers, numbly. "He was always asking me about Keith and for pictures. I figured he was just a perv or something. Isn't it better that he just looks at the pictures?"

Veronica grimaces, the urge to reach out and throttle him nearly overwhelming her. She stares up at the ceiling for a moment as she tries to calm down. "You have no _idea_ what you've done," she says, finally looking back at him as she thinks of all of the times Dick's stupidity and carelessness hurt her or others. "You just don't get it," she mutters on her way out. "You never did."

---------

"Any luck?" Mac asks hopefully as Veronica enters the house. Veronica shakes her head and so she sighs in disappointment, returning to her task of reading through all of the PI's emails. "I haven't found anything else yet," she informs her. "But there's still a lot to read through."

"I'll be in the den," Veronica says, dropping her bag onto a nearby chair.

She takes her seat at the desk and rests her head in her hands as she thinks. It'd be over an hour long drive to Irvine, and she knows she shouldn't go alone. Dick she can handle, but this is uncharted territory and she doesn't know what to expect, so muscle is imperative. But _her_ muscle is locked up in the county jail and where does that leave her?

She sighs and reaches for the phone. There's only one other person she knows who will do whatever it takes.

He picks up after the first ring. "V?"

"So my memory is a little fuzzy, but I think you owe _me_ one now…"

-------

Mac's continued search comes up empty, and Veronica thanks her for all she has done and then tells her that she can go now because she really needs to take a nap. Her friend protests as she's led to the door, insisting that Veronica shouldn't be alone now. "At least let me wait with you until the FBI guy gets here," Mac pleads.

Veronica feels terribly guilty for lying to her, but she knows Mac wouldn't let her go after Maloney herself. With Logan gone right now, Mac is like his mouthpiece, and she wouldn't risk Veronica putting herself in any danger. And if she knew Veronica was meeting _Weevil_ in two hours…

"I really need to be alone now," Veronica insists. "I'm just going to sleep and wait for Edwards."

"Do you promise to call me if you need anything?"

Veronica reaches out to hug her. "I promise."

Mac leaves, albeit reluctantly, and Veronica returns to the den. She's packing up her laptop and copies of the emails in a larger messenger bag when she hears the vibrating buzz of a cell phone. Her phone is in her pocket, and so she looks around in confusion. Logan's cell is on a powermat on the nearby file cabinet, and Veronica grabs it. There's no name on the main screen, just a number that Veronica recognizes as a mobile extension. "Hello?" she answers, wondering who could possibly be calling Logan right now.

"Mommy?"


	10. Chapter 9

"Mommy?"

Veronica falls back into the office chair, her mouth open in surprise. "Keith?" she breathes, desperate.

"Where are you?" he asks casually, and he sounds…fine? Normal? There's a loud crunching nose reverberating through the phone, like he's chewing on something. It reminds Veronica of his daily calls to her while she was at the office, of when she could hear Logan ambling about in the background as Keith chatted idly while he ate lunch. _"What are you doing?"_ he would always ask, and she would explain whatever project she was working on at the moment, in the simplest of terms, but he would still repeat the same question again the next minute.

_Where are __**you**__?_, she thinks, but asks instead if he's okay, if he's hurt.

The chewing sound stops suddenly, and Veronica sucks in a sharp breath. "I'm okay!" he answers after a second.

Veronica closes her eyes, a flood of relief washing over her. "Do you know where you are? Who you're with?" She tries her best to sound composed.

"Mm, no." There's that crunching nose again. "There's a _really_ big pool though!" He's definitely talking with a full mouth, something she always had to chide him for, but now all she can do is grin, tears of happiness springing to her eyes. God, how she's missed the sound of his sweet voice, missed the way his words are always a bit muffled by his perpetually congested nose. "We had mac'roni and cheese today," he adds happily.

"Keith," she begins, affecting her best mom tone, "can you tell me about who you're with?"

She can hear him fumble with the receiver. "Someone's comin'! Daddy said not to let anyone see the phone."

"Keith!" she calls out again, terrified by the thought of being disconnected.

"Bye!" And then silence. Veronica pulls the cell away from her ear and stares at it for a second before hitting 'send' to dial the last number received. But the phone Keith was using must already be turned off as it goes straight to voicemail.

_Daddy said not to let anyone see the phone._ So it was something Logan gave him? Obviously whoever had Keith didn't know about it, and Veronica chastises herself for stupidly calling back. What if it rang? What if the kidnapper heard it? What would they do with her baby then?

_It didn't though,_ she tells herself. _It's okay. Keith's okay._

He's okay. Veronica smiles in pure delight, tapping her hands against the desk and her feet against the floor as she laughs in relief. He's _fine_ and she's going to find him, she's sure of it. Any residual tiredness and fatigue has been replaced with a pure adrenaline rush and Veronica can feel her heart beating in excitement. She could probably run a marathon with this newfound energy.

She grabs her bag and Logan's cell and then she dashes to the door, eager to start her search after she makes one very important pit stop along the way.

There's a long, narrow crack on the cell's ceiling, gray paint chipped around it, peeling back to reveal the beige paint before it. Logan's been staring at the fissure for more than twenty minutes, willing himself to fall asleep before he drives himself crazy. But all he can think about is his son.

All Logan had ever wanted, for as long as he could remember, was to have a normal family. He wanted a mother who cared more about him than she did about her pills. He wanted a father who patted him on the back in congratulations instead of striking him with a belt in punishment. He wanted what it always felt like everyone else around him already had.

He'd given up on that pipedream a long, long time ago. But he had refused to give up on Veronica. She might have stared back at him in confusion while he ranted about lives ruined, bloodshed and epic love (something he remembered just a little too late), but _he_ got it. Because how else could he justify anything if there wasn't some sort of grand plan in the end? What would have been the point? It had to be _them_ or else everything was for nothing. It wasn't romanticizing, it was _rationalizing_. After all the crazy pain they both had to endure, he had to believe that their relationship was a hell of a lot more than some fleeting high school romance. They were in it together, a love story for the ages, and someday they would finally be allowed to be happy. _Someday_.

Someday was four years and two days ago, the night he first held his son in his arms and he finally got it. He finally had someone he could give his whole heart to. He finally had someone to love unconditionally, someone to protect, someone to be Logan with. He knew many who would laugh at the sheer absurdity of the thought, but maybe this was what he was meant for all along. _Welcome to parenthood, Logan Echolls. Now you finally have a reason to be as crazy as you are._

And God, he loves Veronica. Make no mistake about that. She is absolutely it for him, the great love of his life. But in that moment Keith became his whole world, and he won't have it any other way.

Logan keeps thinking about the surfboard he got Keith for his birthday. It took weeks of researching for him to find the best shop to custom build his little boy's first board, and the end result is perfect. It's barely four feet high, almost half the size of the one Logan uses, and it even has a picture of Teddy Turtle, Keith's favorite cartoon, emblazoned across the center. Logan had made plans to start teaching him basic skills in the pool now so he'd be ready to start surfing lessons next summer…

Fuck, he hadn't even had a chance to see the ocean yet.

Logan wraps his arms around himself, the chilly air in the cell getting to him. They say what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, and so far Logan's been made stronger by a painful and lonely childhood, the deaths of both parents, the loss of his first girlfriend at the hands of his father, and countless other heartbreaks and betrayals.

They say what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Logan's pretty sure this will kill him.

"Logan!" He hears Veronica's voice yelling his name, and he rolls over on the mattress to see her sprinting down the hallway and to his cell.

She's beaming, a beautiful grin splitting her face from ear to ear, and Logan's heart soars at the possibilities. "He called!" she squeals happily. "And he's okay. He's okay."

Logan scrambles from the bed to the bars, and he wraps his hands around the steel as he stares back at his wife. "He _called_ you?"

She holds up his cell to show him the received call log and he recognizes the number immediately. "Did you give him a phone?" she asks.

_Shit_, he thinks. How the hell did he forget about that? "Yeah. I put one in his lunchbox in case something happened at school and he needed me. What'd he say? He's all right?"

"He's fine. He doesn't know who he's with or where he is, but he's okay." She smiles again as she covers his hand with her own. "He said he had macaroni and cheese for lunch," she laughs.

Logan finally relaxes enough to return her grin. "So he's really okay?"

Veronica nods happily. "Yeah, and that's all that matters now. I know I'll find him. I _promise_ you I'll find him." He stares back at her hopefully and then leans forward to rest his forehead against the bars. "He's okay," he mutters as he tries to fully process the idea.

"Logan, did you turn on the tracking in the phone?" she asks as she gets back to business.

He pulls back to look at her, his smile falling from his face. "No. _Dammit_. I didn't even think about that!"

She shakes her head and grasps his hand tighter to reassure him. "It doesn't matter. I'll find him."

"I just bought it on Sunday," he admits. "When you sent me to the mall in the morning to pick up some last minute things for the party, I saw a Verizon kiosk and decided to pick one up."

Veronica presses up against the steel barricade to slip her arms through the bars and around Logan's neck. "And I'm so glad you did."

She stretches on her tippy-toes as he leans down, and then their lips meet, the bridge of Logan's nose bumping against the cold metal. Veronica breaks the kiss so she can look at him. "I've got a lead," she says, and explains about the PI in Irvine. "I'm going to his office now to find out who he's working for."

"You can't go alone," he says, a bit frantically. "What if he's dangerous? You could get hurt."

"I've got it all taken care of," she promises. "I'll be careful." She squeezes his hand again, and Logan finds that the need for her to find their son outweighs everything else.

"You better be. Because if anything happened to you-" She reaches up to kiss him again, halting his diatribe on safety. "I'll be careful," she repeats after she steps back. "And I'll let you know as soon as I know anything." She checks her watch then and realizes that she'll have to leave now to have any chance of meeting Weevil on time.

"I love you, Veronica," he says, reaching his hand out from between the bars. Her fingers graze his and she meets his eyes. "I love you, too."

She waves to Sacks on her way out, and her hand is on the door handle when she hears her father calling her. Veronica spins around to see him standing by the front desk, his face the picture of sadness and shame.

"I can't talk now," she tells him, turning back. "I'm in a hurry."

"Don't shut me out, Veronica," he pleads.

She pauses, her hand still at the door, and twists her neck so he can see her profile. "I'll call you later," she says, her tone firm but not cold, and then she leaves.

Weevil agreed to meet her outside of Maloney's office at quarter to three, and she barely arrives on time. She pulls the Jag up to the curb outside the PI's building and looks around for his car. As she stares out through her windshield, there's a sharp knocking on her passenger window. Veronica jumps in her seat before sighing in relief when she sees that it's just Weevil.

"Sorry," she says as she emerges from her car. "I got here as soon as I could."

Weevil casts a glance toward Maloney's office door and then looks back at Veronica doubtfully. "You really think this guy is involved somehow?"

"He has to be," she replies as she makes her way down the sidewalk, Weevil following along beside her. "I don't really believe in coincidences."

Weevil stops suddenly and so Veronica turns to face him. "What's wrong?"

He seems hesitant to voice whatever concerns he has, but at Veronica's pressing look, he relents. "Are you really sure Logan's not behind this?"

Veronica's eyes narrow as she stares him down, her jaw clenched tightly in anger. "You did not just ask me that."

"Look at his history, V. Don't specialists and shit say it's all a cycle?"

"Are you really going to hold his father against him?" she asks in disbelief. "Because if I remember correctly, your old man went to prison for murder, too."

"I meant Lilly," he says, rolling his eyes. "So he never laid a finger on you?"

"No! What the hell are you talking about?"

"_Lilly_. Sometimes…sometimes she'd have bruises all over her."

"And she told you Logan did it?" she asks unbelievingly.

"No, but she didn't deny it either. And who else would've done it?"

Veronica will always hold a special place in her heart for Lilly Kane, but she gave up any romantic notions about her once best friend a long time ago. It's saddens her to realize that Weevil still pictures her so innocently when Lilly was anything but. Maybe he'll never be able to let her go, even with Eva and a new baby at home.

"Logan never hit Lilly," Veronica says tersely as she marches to Maloney's office. "And he sure as hell didn't have anything to do with Keith's kidnapping. So just go home and I'll handle this myself."

Weevil sighs but goes to follow her, his lips pursed together thoughtfully. "No way in hell are you going in there by yourself."

She knocks on the door and waits, hoping they can save some time by not having to trek across town to Maloney's home address. Impatient, she knocks again. A few seconds later the door opens to reveal a very short and stocky man with a bad comb-over.

"Are you Travis Maloney?"

"Yeah. Can I help you?"

Weevil comes to stand behind Veronica, his eyebrow raised as he regards the small man with a mixture of curiosity and annoyance. "You wanna answer some questions for us?"

Maloney shrinks back, clearly intimidated. "What's this about?"

Veronica and Weevil both push past the door and into his office. "Who hired you to find out information about Keith Echolls?" Veronica asks, once inside.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he stammers, moving away from them. "And I was just on my way out, so if you'll please excuse me."

He waits for them to move and when they don't, he tries to awkwardly make his way past them and to the door. Weevil shoves him on the shoulder to push him back. "Not so fast."

"Look," Maloney says, a bit panicked, "I don't know anything about him going missing. Honest."

"Who hired you?" Veronica presses.

Maloney looks back and forth between the two strangers in front of him, but he doesn't respond. "Answer the lady," Weevil growls.

"Nobody. Nobody hired me about him. I don't know what you're talking about."

Weevil looks over at Veronica and she nods once, and that's all the encouragement he needs. He rushes forward, grabbing Maloney by the lapels of his suit jacket and slamming him up against a nearby wall. "I'm only going to ask you one more time before things start to get really painful. Who the hell are you working for?"

The man wilts like a flower, his voice trembling as he answers. "Reynolds. Lianne Reynolds."

--------

Wallace had taken an hour long break to check in with Natalie and grab some lunch, but now he is back on Veronica's street to see if he can convince any of her rich neighbors to give him a few minutes of their time. So far he isn't having much luck.

He walks up a steep hill to a large Victorian house, which is positioned directly behind Veronica's home. Wallace has a pretty good view of the Echolls's backyard from this person's driveway, so he hopes that maybe these neighbors can help him out somehow.

Unlike the rest of the neighborhood, including Veronica's home, this house doesn't have a fancy security gate or alarm; just a circular drive and a cobblestone walk that leads to a large mahogany door. Wallace rings the bell and waits.

He's about to give up and move on when he hears the door being unlocked from the other side. Soon it opens as far as the chain lock will permit, and then there's an elderly woman peering up at Wallace, half of her face obscured by the door frame.

"Hi," he says, unsure. "My name's Wallace, and I'm with a group trying to find out some information about Keith Echolls. Do you have a minute?"

She looks him up and down derisively. "Sure you're not trying to sell something?" Her voice is surprisingly husky, and it startles Wallace for a second.

"Uh, no. Here," he says, fumbling for the flyer in his back pocket. He holds the piece of paper out to her and she slips her small and wrinkled hand past the door to take it from him.

"Oh, that poor little boy," she says as she looks it over. "I heard about this."

"The family lives right down there," Wallace informs her, pointing to the Echolls house.

"Oh, I know. I used to see them out in the backyard all the time. The little boy was always outside with his father. You know," she adds wistfully, "after seeing them together, you'd never think he'd be able to do something like that."

"Actually, a lot of us don't think he did. That's why I'm here."

She hands the flyer back to him. "Now that you mention it, I did notice someone in their yard yesterday morning. I never saw them before, either."

"Really?" Wallace asks, perking up at that piece of info.

"Yes," she affirms with a head nod. "It was a large black man."

_Of __**course**__ it was,_ Wallace thinks. "A large black man?" he repeats dubiously.

"Oh, certainly. And the only black families around here are the Craigs and the Westons, and he wasn't one of them. I'm sure of that."

"So what was he doing?"

"Oh, I don't know!" she says defensively. "I'm not nosy!"

It takes a lot of effort on his part to not scoff, but he manages. "Okay then. Well, thanks for your time." He smiles politely before walking away, and he waits until he's at the bottom of the hill before he pulls out his cell and dials the number Veronica gave him before taking off with Mac. There's no answer, so he leaves a message telling her about what he just heard, even if he has his doubts about the veracity of the statement.

_But I hope it helps_, he thinks as he makes his way to the next home. _I really do._

--------

After Weevil bent one of Maloney's pinkies at a most unnatural angle, the PI was a little more forthcoming with information, including Lianne's current address, which was, thankfully, only about fifteen minutes away. Veronica thought she was going to have to break one of Weevil's fingers before he let her go on her own, but she was steadfast in her insistence and so he finally left her to head back to LA. Now Veronica is standing at her mother's front door, trying to ready herself for absolutely anything.

She hasn't even seen Lianne Mars, nee Reynolds, since the night Veronica was attacked by Aaron and her father was hospitalized. And that was one of the worst nights of her life.

Veronica knocks and takes a deep breath. Could her son really be with Lianne? But then how would Lianne have orchestrated such an elaborate scheme to frame Logan? And why would she do that? It doesn't make sense.

She freezes as the door swings open, and then there's her mother. Lianne's hair is cut very short but styled carefully, and she's dressed in a crisp cotton dress shirt and gray slacks. She doesn't look anything like the woman Veronica once thought she knew. This must be the Lianne that could have been, the version that would have existed if she had married Jake Kane out of high school and led the life she was always sure she deserved. God, Veronica thinks, she's even wearing a pearl necklace. What a fucking picture.

Lianne's face brightens at the sight before her, a flicker of life sparking behind her sad eyes. "Veronica?" she smiles, stepping forward and reaching for her. "Baby."

Veronica instinctively steps back, her hands up defensively. "Where's Keith?"

The smile falters, the brightness fading and confusion taking its place. "What?" Lianne asks.

"Where's. Keith?"

"Honey, come inside," she says, once again reaching for her. Veronica jerks away from her touch and glares at her mother in warning. "Answer me."

"I don't know," Lianne answers pitifully. "How _would_ I know?"

Sighing, Veronica barges past her mother and into the townhouse. "Wow. Look at this!" she says blithely, turning around to take in her surroundings. "Who knew that $50,000 could go so far?"

Lianne bristles at that comment but she recovers quickly. "I'm sorry, Veronica. You have no idea how sorry I am. I was very, very messed up back then."

Veronica moves into the large living room, eyeing the expensive furniture and artwork adorning the area. "So are you back with Jake?"

She nods, not meeting her daughter's eyes, and Veronica shakes her head in disgust. "Well isn't that-" Veronica's words fall away as she stares at a framed picture of her son, one that she remembers taking at the park many months ago, and she marches over to the end table to pick it up. "What are you doing with this?" she asks, her voice cracking.

"He's my grandson," Lianne answers. "I have the right to know him."

Veronica sniffles a little as she looks down at the picture, and she loses herself for a moment, tenderly tracing the outline of Keith's face through the glass. "No," she says finally, holding the frame to her chest. "No, you don't have any right to know him at all. You made your choice a long time ago and you have to live with that."

"I've been working really hard to get my life back on track. Veronica," she says, a bit of pride seeping into her voice, "I've been sober now for over six years."

"Congratulations," Veronica replies sarcastically as she moves around the couch and toward the front door. "I hope you and Jake have a wonderful, alcohol free life together. But you can leave my son out of it."

"Honey," Lianne calls after her, rushing to stop her from leaving. "We don't have to do this. It doesn't have to be like this anymore! I thought…" She pauses, swallowing thickly. "I thought that you came here because you needed me. With everything that's happening with Keith, I thought you might need me now."

"Yeah?" Veronica asks, still clutching at the photo as tears brim in her eyes. "Because I came here because I thought you might have had something to do with him going missing. So I guess we're _really_ not on the same page."

Lianne's face crumples, but Veronica refuses to feel sorry for her. "You can hire a PI to find out stuff about Keith, and you can get pictures of him and you can hear stories about him, but you're never, ever going to _know_ him," she says. "You weren't there for any of it, okay? You weren't there the day he was born. You weren't there when I got married. You weren't there when I graduated from the academy, or from college, or from _high school_. You weren't THERE!"

"I was _sick_!" Lianne cries. "I couldn't be there!"

"Really? Didn't you _just say_ that you've been sober for six years? So where have you been, huh? Because all I know is where you haven't been." She takes another step back, swiping at her face with her hand to brush away her tears. "You haven't been there for me."

"I wanted to be," she whispers sadly. "I really did. But I know I don't deserve it. Not after everything that's happened. And you wouldn't have me anyway. You _know_ that," Lianne states firmly. "If I would have come to you, you would have turned me away. Don't say you wouldn't have!"

There's so much anger there, and it scares Veronica to feel like this. She thought this part of her life, all of that rage and resentment that she once used to keep her going, was in the past now, but it's all bubbling to the surface again.

Her mother leaving was the moment that defined her. The day she woke up to find a music box and a note was the day that Veronica chopped off her hair and vowed to never let another person make her feel like she wasn't worthy. That was the day Veronica was reborn.

Maybe she could have handled losing Lilly if her mother had stayed. Maybe she could have handled it _all_ if her mother had just _stayed_. But Lianne left and everything changed and Veronica can't look back now.

She hates her, she realizes. She hates what her mother did to her. _I bet on you and I lost. I've been doing that my whole life and I'm through._ She remembers how it felt to put her faith in someone and have it utterly destroyed, and that was the reason she had refused for so long to gamble again. And where would she be now if she hadn't found the courage to finally go all in?

Lianne had single-handedly shaped and defined almost every aspect of Veronica's life for _years_. She left her broken and bitter, terrified that eventually everyone would walk out and that all she'd be left with was a music box and a letter. Her relationship with her mother even haunted her relationship with her father, leaving her ultimately untrusting of her bond with a man who had walked through fire for her. She thinks of the many lies she told her dad, of the secrets she kept from him because she was scared of alienating him somehow. He was all she had and she thought she couldn't confide in him _because_ he was all she had.

"I can't do this now," Veronica whispers, her throat constricting painfully as she tries to reign in her tears. "I have to find Keith. I…I have to go."

"I _do_ want to be a part of your life, Veronica." Lianne moves in front of her to once again stop her daughter from leaving. "I want to know you again. You'll always be my little girl." She reaches out to caress her daughter's cheek, and Veronica freezes against her touch, her eyes shut tightly and her hand clenched at her side. "I'm an alcoholic, honey, and you can't know how hard it is."

_That's not true_, she thinks. Veronica may have been frustrated with her mother's condition, but she understood it, even when she didn't want to, and she had tried to do everything she could to help her through it. But it wasn't Lianne's love of the bottle that destroyed their relationship. It was _Lianne_. It's no coincidence that Lianne has been sober for over six years and Jake Kane has been divorced from Celeste for almost seven. Somewhere along the way, Lianne decided that she didn't want her family enough to even try for them. But she tried for Jake. It seemed to always come back to him.

Veronica can't imagine ever choosing anyone else over her son, and it still hurts that her own mother could.

"I wouldn't have turned you away," Veronica tells her as she cries. "I was so angry with you, about so many things, but I still needed you. And if you would have come to me, I have to believe that I would have let you back in my life. But you _didn't_. And it is what it is."

"Veronica…"

She wipes at her eyes and looks at her mother. "So, where's dear Jake now?"

Lianne shakes her head sadly, her eyes downcast. "Duncan and his daughter…honey, they were killed in a car accident in New Zealand a couple of months ago."

Veronica takes a deep breath, the news of an old friend and his little girl's death hitting her hard. "I'm-I'm very sorry to hear that," she says.

"Jake's taking some time now. It's been very difficult for him."

She nods in understanding; her life has been a living hell since Monday afternoon, and she wouldn't wish the loss of a child on absolutely anyone. The idea of outliving your children…it's unnatural, and her heart really does break for anyone who has to deal with that.

"I should go now," Veronica says. She looks down at the framed picture of Keith that she's still holding, and, decided, she hands it back to her mother. _This is it_, she thinks. _I need to move on from her._ Lianne can have the photo because that's all she's going to get. "I do hope you can be happy, but I can't do this again," she says. "I'm sorry."

Lianne doesn't say anything else as she watches her daughter leave.

Veronica has calmed down substantially during the hour-long drive back to Neptune. She keeps replaying her phone conversation with Keith over and over again in her mind, and it's the only thing that's keeping her going. All of the trails have run cold and now she's scared that she might not get him back.

It's almost 5:30 p.m. by the time she pulls into the station parking lot. She needs to see Logan, she has to tell Edwards about the phone conversation, and she wants to talk to her father. She _won't_ shut him out, even if she's angry with him right now. Veronica won't lose anyone else.

She enters through the main doors and she hears the shouting back and forth before she sees the melee around the front desk. Edwards is standing off to the side, his expression dark and serious, as her father and county commissioner Jenkins yell.

"I should have fired your ass the second this started!" Jenkins hollers, his face bright red.

"What's going on?" Veronica asks Leo, who is watching the altercation with a resigned expression.

"Edwards came to pick up the evidence to be retested, but it's gone," he tells her.

"What?" she asks, her face paling. "The jacket?"

"I don't know how anyone could have gotten in there, Veronica. We just put in a new alarm system a few months ago, and your dad is the only one with the code."

"I would never, ever do anything to compromise this case," Keith says to Jenkins as he looks around the room pleadingly. Sacks and Leo look on sadly as Edwards fumes. "I want to know how the hell something like this happens," he asks Keith.

"Simple," Jenkins interrupts. "This isn't the first time we've had to deal with this, but I can guarantee it'll be the last." He looks over at Keith then. "You're done. You can hand over your badge and your gun and you'll be lucky if you don't end up in prison for this."

"You can't do that!" Leo growls, stepping forward. He points to Veronica. "We need to worry about finding her son, not settling old grudges."

Jenkins sneers at him. "If I take the advice of anyone here, it certainly won't be yours." He turns to Edwards then. "Deputy D'Amato was fired years ago for negligence with evidence. Sheriff Mars is the one responsible for hiring him back."

Edwards sighs as he pinches the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. "Can somebody just explain to me how evidence disappears from here?"

"There's been a deputy guarding the front desk at all hours," Keith explains. "Somebody would have seen something."

Edwards looks over at Leo suspiciously. "Did you see anything?"

"No," he answers tersely.

"What about you?" he asks, directing his question to Sacks.

Sacks shakes his head, his lips pursed. "And I've been at the desk since early this morning."

"Nobody else has been in charge of the evidence?"

"Well, Carl, when I was on my lunch break. But that was right before Sheriff Mars suspended him."

Veronica looks over at Edwards and their eyes lock. He nods once in her direction and then he moves to Inga's desk. "All right, I want someone to bring this Carl in right now."

"One second," Veronica says, moving past Leo and Sacks to stand before her father. "You're still the only one with the code, right? So how would Carl have been able to get past the alarm?"

Her father stares back at her with tired, bloodshot eyes. "I don't know."

"What kind of security system is it?" Edwards asks as he makes his way to the evidence room. Keith, Sacks and Leo follow him as Veronica falls behind, thinking.

_Alarm system. Security system. Security cameras._ It's one common thread.

"Who installed it?" she shouts, hustling over to the group of men. "What's the name of the company?"

"Um, National something," Sacks says as he tries to remember.

"It was the private security company I used to work for after I was fired from here," Leo adds. His eyes widen in realization. "Carl used to work for them, too."

"Nation One Security," Sacks says, reading the name off of the inside of the alarm, which is now disabled.

"Yeah, that's the name now. It used to be Security One, before they were bought out a couple of years after I left. Then they became even bigger, and I'm pretty sure they do all of the systems in Neptune now."

If that's the case, then they would be the ones behind the delayed security cameras at Ritchfield and the gate alarm at her house, too, Veronica thinks.

"Do you know who bought them out?" she asks, turning to Leo.

"It wasn't another company," he says, thinking. "It was some guy. He used to be head of Kane Security."

Veronica can feel her stomach turning. "Clarence Weidman?" she offers, and Leo nods as he stares at her, confused.

"Weidman?" her father repeats as he pushes past Sacks so he can get to his daughter. "You think Weidman has Keith?"

"No," she says simply, looking up to meet his eyes. "Jake does."

He stares at her for a few seconds before the cop in him takes over. "Okay, we need to find Jake Kane," he says, addressing everyone else. "Sacks, find out all of his known addresses. He has a few. Leo, call in every deputy we've got."

"This isn't in your jurisdiction, Keith," Jenkins says as everyone in the station rushes around. "You don't have a jurisdiction anymore."

"Go to hell, Jenkins," Keith barks as he boots up the computer, his fingers drumming impatiently against the desk.

"Are you _sure_ about this, Veronica?" Edwards asks, watching her carefully. Neptune, he had decided earlier, is a different world altogether, and not even a seasoned veteran such as himself can begin to understand all of its twisted secrets. But he trusts the young woman before him now, and if she knows things he doesn't, then Edwards doesn't want to waste anymore time.

She looks up at him and into his dark eyes. "Yes."

He nods, pulling out his cell, and turns away from her so he can call in for more feds.

Veronica stands in a daze as she watches the now bustling station, and she feels like she's moving through slow motion as everything speeds up all around her. If Jake wanted to make himself and Keith disappear, it'd be very easy for him. He could be anywhere now. He could be _anywhere._

_"Jake's taking some time now. It's been very difficult for him."_

But where would he go to 'take some time?' And to take _her son_.

_"There's a _really_ big pool though!"_, she remembers Keith saying, the only clue he gave her to his whereabouts.

Veronica leans back against the wall, taking deep breaths as everyone else runs about frantically, and suddenly she's transported to a moment many years before, to the last time she had even thought about it. She can feel the warm sun beating down against her skin as she looks up to the clouds, regarding them thoughtfully.

Logan grins from his seat beside her and she tugs on his hand. _"You remember how Lilly and Duncan always spent most of August at the Kane beach house in LA?"  
_

Veronica shakes herself from that memory and she knows. She's sure of it.

She watches as Sacks jots down addresses he's reading off the computer, as her father yells at someone over the phone, as Leo rushes past her and out the main entrance, as Edwards stands huddled in the corner, his cell to his ear.

Veronica feels for her car keys in the front pocket of her jeans, and she slinks away surreptitiously as she makes her way out of the station. She'll call them on her way there, after she gets a head start, she reasons. But she'll need Jake Kane to herself for awhile, first.


	11. Chapter 10

_Friday, December 12, 2014_

_"Mars?"_

_Veronica looks up from her computer, her face falling at the sound of her name. Her supervisor, Sturges, is motioning for her to enter his office, and she sighs softly to herself as she slowly rises from her desk and starts the short walk on the green mile._

_"Sir?"_

_He's signing some documents and he doesn't bother to look up at her as she enters the room. "You can take off now. Use this weekend to catch up on a little paperwork."_

_"Actually, I was going to stick around. I heard Berry say that there's new information on the Hennessey kidnapping."_

_"You're not partnered with Berry anymore."_

_"I know but-"_

_"And you're not on the Hennessey case, either. I assigned Strocks. She's got more experience with situations like this."_

_"I've been working this since the beginning!" she argues, her eyes narrowing in anger._

_"Veronica," he sighs in exasperation, "I'm not going to go over this again. Now go on, get going. Have a nice weekend." He offers a weak smile before returning to his papers, and Veronica clenches her teeth as she turns away._

_"Oh yeah, and Mars?"_

_She stops, her back to him._

_"I signed you up for some self-defense refresher classes at Center. Be there tomorrow morning, 10 a.m."_

_She rolls her eyes and heads back to her desk._

_---_

_When Veronica was a little girl, she used to dream about New York winters. She would watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, the lighting of the Christmas tree at Rockefeller, and New Year's Eve at Time Square on television and wish she was there, laughing in the snow and the cold, bundled up with a cup of hot chocolate and cheering with the crowds._

_Now Veronica's learned that childhood dreams just lead to disappointed adults._

_The frigid air sucks the breath from her lungs, and she pulls her arms around her chest to shield herself from the burning wind. With her chin tucked against her chest and her knit scarf scratching against her face, she begins the slow and arduous walk to her apartment, cursing the cold every step of the way._

_The low temperature and added weight from her messenger bag make it even more difficult to trudge through the dirty snow littering the sidewalks. When she finally gets to her building thirty minutes later, she darts across the street and narrowly misses being run down by a taxi. The cab driver slows only to scream obscenities at her, and Veronica damns her mittens for hindering her middle finger._

_God, she _hates_ New York. She never would have thought that possible, but her daily life now is a far cry from that of the touristy teenager who drank in every drop of the city._

_Her apartment is on the fifth floor and the elevator's _still_ out of order, so she takes her sweet time climbing the stairs. Her back is hurting, her thighs aching, and she wonders yet again why she bothers. Every day she goes in and kills herself at a job she no longer likes in a field she no longer respects, and for what?_

_She thinks again about quitting, about packing up and heading back to California to reopen Mars Investigations and make it her own. It's a little fantasy that gets her through her days, and she ignores that niggling voice that asks her why she thinks that will be enough. Bail jumpers and cheating wives, day in and day out… Is that all she's going to have? Is that all there is to look forward to?_

_She's gasping for breath when she reaches her door, and she digs through her bag for her keys. "Dammit," she mutters when she comes up short and then remembers leaving them in her desk drawer. Her added stress has made her uncharacteristically forgetful lately, which only leads to more stress. It's a vicious cycle. She falls back hard against her door in exhaustion, wearily eyeing the stairwell._

_Just as she's dreading the trek back to the office, she hears the chain being unlocked from the other side, and she freezes before spinning around to back away._

_Logan's head pops out from behind the door, and he smiles when he sees her. "Aw, I was hoping you were my Thai food." He holds the door open wide, waiting expectantly for her, and she sighs in relief even as she feels her annoyance level surging. "What the hell are you doing here?" she asks, entering her apartment._

_He shrugs as he walks ahead of her, traipsing through her home as if it were his own. "It's been a few weeks. What, you didn't miss me?" He turns to catch her eye, and she tries but fails to fight her smile._

_"I thought you were in London until the 18th."_

_She follows him into her tiny kitchenette, where he leans against the counter, stretching his long legs out in front of him. His dress shirt is pulled out from his slacks, his tie loose around his collar. "The deal fell through," he says as he rolls up his sleeves. "So I thought I'd come and see you, since you've been off weekends lately." He looks up then, and suddenly he doesn't seem so comfortable. "Is that a problem?"_

_Veronica shakes her head, chiding herself for taking out her frustrations with work on Logan. She knows now that sometimes the attitude she uses to cope can be even more off-putting than the harshest of words, so it's something she's trying to be aware of. It's too late to help with some colleagues, but she's not going to let it interfere with her relationship with Logan._

_"How long do you think you'll stay for?" she asks, removing her scarf and coat._

_"I don't know. How long do I have before you're completely annoyed by me?"_

_She purses her lips thoughtfully. "Hmm, I think you're about fifteen years late on that one."_

_Maybe she's trying to be flippant, and heaven knows they still take jibes at each other any chance they get, even if their daggers have dulled significantly over the years. But if Logan's perceptive about anything or anyone, it's Veronica, and he can feel frustration emanating from her in waves. "Someone's in a good mood," he says tiredly, and though his words might seem baiting, he's dreading the fight that he's sure is slowly building._

_Veronica watches him carefully and then sighs. Years of her disapproval and his antagonism has made him sure that he's always the problem, even when he's just an innocent bystander. "I'm sorry," she mutters, her eyes down. "It's not you."_

_He studies her for a second, still worried, and then moves behind her to rub her shoulders. "Rough day at work, snookums?"_

_"Sort of," she admits, her eyes closing as she relaxes into his touch._

_"Have they assigned you a new partner yet," he asks casually, his fingertips kneading the knots in her back._

_Her eyes open slowly, the topic of work again something she doesn't really want to discuss, ever. And while it might be easier to talk about it over the phone, it's another issue altogether when Logan's right here._

_"Uh, there's talk, but nothing definite yet."_

_He nods even though she can't see him, and his hands drop to his sides. "I wasn't sure when you'd get home, but I ordered for you anyway. Hungry?"_

_"Always."_

_He smiles, his eyes crinkling with the effort, and for the first time Veronica realizes how _exhausted_ he looks. "When did you get in?"_

_"About an hour ago," he says, running his hand over his face. "I've spent most of the last two days on a plane."_

_"Don't you ever get tired of it?" she asks suddenly. She means his job, maybe even his life. She certainly gets tired of hers._

_"I guess," he shrugs. He looks up then, his eyes darting around as he tests the water. "Actually…I've been thinking about getting an apartment in the city. I do a lot of business here anyway, and you're here and-" he stops short when he sees her expression change, hinting of dread at his words. It isn't exactly the reaction he's hoping for._

_"You don't want to live in New York," she breathes, moving away from him. "Trust me."_

_His shoulders sag ever so slightly and Veronica realizes how that probably came across. She's not sure how to make amends, but fortunately she's saved by the bell, or rather the buzzer, and Logan slides past her to answer the door for the food._

_"Hey," she says a few minutes later, her smile bright and almost convincing, "I really am glad you're here."_

_He continues to dig through the bags of takeout. "I should have called."_

_"I gave you a key for a reason," she tells him, ducking her head to try and meet his eyes. He smiles a little at that, and it's a start. They might have their moments, but Veronica's thankful that Logan's relatively easy to appease these days._

_"So what should we do this weekend?" he asks, passing her a container of Pad Thai._

_She ignores her food and moves in front of him, running her hands up his chest and resting them on his shoulders. "I can think of a few things," she purrs suggestively, her face flushing ever so slightly as she remembers the steps to their dance and just how much she needs all of this right now._

_"Maybe we can take in a show or something," he says, only half teasing._

_She stands on her tippy-toes, her hot breath tickling the side of his face. "Or…"_

_"Ice skating?"_

_She wraps her arms around his neck and nuzzles her nose against his chin. "I wasn't really planning on leaving the apartment."_

_Just then she remembers Sturges earlier, warning her to be at the Center bright and early Saturday morning, and she sighs. "Actually, I have a self-defense class they're making me take tomorrow. But that'll only be a few hours."_

_"Safety first huh?" he grins._

_Yeah right, she thinks. More like another thing to keep her out of the office and their hair for most of next week. She knows they're trying to push her out, and she doesn't even care enough any more to fight it. New classes, lecture circuits, out-of-town meetings…anything to keep her away from cases while they figure out what to do with her._

_"That doesn't sound like a bad idea, you know?" Logan's voice interrupts her thoughts, and she stares back at him. "Newsflash," he says, grinning. "You're kind of scrawny. You could probably use all the help you can get."_

_Her mouth twists into a smirk, and she folds her arms across her chest as she steps away from him. "Do you really want to go there?" she challenges._

_"I'm just expressing my concern."_

_"It's nothing I haven't been through before," she tells him, her eyes flashing. "Trust me, I can take care of myself."_

_He throws his head back, chuckling, and then happily takes the bait. "Most attacks," he says, eyeing her predatorily while he moves in, "happen from behind." God, he can make anything sound dirty._

_He walks around her and then pulls her to him, her back flush against his chest. "So I'm a crazed psycho-"_

_"I believe it."_

_She can feel his mouth stretch into a smile against her cheek. "And now I've got you. What are you going to do?"_

_"C'mon, Logan, I don't want to hurt you."_

_"Not something I'm worried about. Trust _me_, I can take care of myself." He wraps his left arm around her waist, holding her to him, and then takes both of her wrists in his right hand._

_"What, you're not going to use that gun I feel in your pocket?" she teases._

_"So what are you going to do now? I don't think most sociopaths are going to want to banter."_

_"Always worked for you." She tilts her head back, her nose nuzzling against his jaw._

_"I really hope you wouldn't talk to an attacker like this," he says before giving her a quick peck on the side of her face. "I'd be so jealous."_

_"If you were shorter, and considering the situation, I might think about head-butting you from behind," she informs him. "But that's more of a last resort thing." She brings down her foot, stomping his toes, and though she doesn't use nearly the amount of force she would if she were truly in danger, it's enough to stun him, and he loses his grip on her wrists. She twirls out of his arms and then brings up her right hand, her index and middle fingers pointing outward. "And then I'd go for your eyes. When you were bent over from that, I'd knee you in the groin."_

_"Nice," he says, genuinely impressed, his bright eyes conveying pride._

_"I'll let you go, though," she tells him, reaching out for him and wrapping her arms around his neck. "I don't want to hurt anything I might need."_

_He kisses her softly, his mouth trailing from her lips down to her throat, and so she stretches her neck to accommodate him, moaning when he finds her pulse-point. They've both already forgotten about the Thai food sitting on the table._

_She walks him backwards to her bed, pulling at his tie and shirt along the way. He pushes her suit jacket off of her shoulders and then works at the buttons of her blue cotton blouse. When he falls back against the mattress, she climbs on top of him, reaching behind her to unhook her white silk bra. He rushes to sit up, his mouth finding her bare breasts as she throws her head back and runs her hands along his shoulders._

_She gets so lonely, so desperate sometimes, and being with Logan like this helps her get through some of the harder days. She doesn't want to need him like that, doesn't want to need _anyone_ like that, but at times like this, when they're together, the idea of needing and wanting someone doesn't seem so bad._

_Maybe…maybe he _should_ get an apartment in New York, spend more time in the city. She's not positive about what's going on with her job, not even sure what she wants, but what harm could come from it? It doesn't mean she has to set her watch by him, and there's nothing wrong with needing…companionship._

_He flips her over, pulls her trousers and underwear off._

_She doesn't really have anyone in this city. She's so different from everyone she works with, so alienated now, and she feels as much an outcast in the office as she did back in high school after Lilly died._

_There's nothing wrong with wanting someone._

_As his mouth finds her, his tongue at her clit, she threads her fingers through his hair and closes her eyes, going slack against him._

_There's nothing wrong with wanting _Logan_._

_It's something they can talk about later, she thinks, desperate for more. She urges him up her body and wraps her legs around his waist. He rests his weight on his forearms as he stares down at her, their eyes locked, and they've now made the silent agreement to go slow._

_They watch each other as he moves against her, only breaking that contact when Veronica closes her eyes and arches underneath him. She pants as she recovers, her fingernails digging into Logan's back as she urges him on. He's staring at her again, looking at her like she's all he needs, and then he speeds up, his back bowing. Veronica lifts her head to press her lips against his as he finishes._

_"I've really missed you," he admits in a whisper after, and he spoons her from behind, her hand clasped in his and held tightly to her chest._

_"Me too."_

_Later, she wakes up with a start, confused as she waits for her eyes to adjust to the darkness. The clock at her nightstand tells her it's almost 6 a.m. and Veronica can't believe how long she's slept._

_"Logan?" she asks, wondering why he's no longer next to her in bed. The light from the street lamp outside is filtering through her blinds, illuminating the room enough for her to make out his figure as he hurriedly dresses._

_"I have to go," he says, fastening his belt. "Dick called. They picked him up for a DUI and he needs bailed out. There's no one else." He pauses to look at her. "He's a real mess right now."_

_"You're going back to LA?"_

_He nods sadly, taking a seat on the edge of the bed so he can tie his shoes. "There's a flight leaving JFK in an hour, and I already called a cab."_

_She doesn't say anything, and he's surprised by how upset and disappointed she seems. "Do…do you want me to come back?"_

_She shakes her head and then grabs for the sheet that just fell away from her breast. "You really should take a break from planes."_

_He forces a smile as he buttons up his shirt. "Right? I'm practically keeping the airline industry in business these days." He sighs, bewildered by her forlorn look. "You're coming back to Neptune in less than two weeks for Christmas. We can see each other then."_

_She nods, still despondent. "Hey," he says, moving onto the bed and caressing the side of her face. "Remember, I get you for New Year's." He kisses her on the forehead, his fingers running through her hair before he pulls away. "I gotta go. Get some more sleep so you can kick ass at that class."_

_She closes her eyes when she hears the door shut behind him, and then she falls back against her pillows. His side of the bed is still warm, and she can always smell his cologne even after he leaves, can always feel that ghost of his presence, and it hurts. There's takeout on the counter and he left his watch on the nightstand, and they're little reminders that he was here but now he's not._

_Veronica pulls the blankets tight against her to ward off the chill in the room. She's alone again._

-----------

Edwards snaps his phone shut and looks around the station. He's got some backup on the way, and more Feds already heading to Kane's primary residence in LA.

"Sheriff Mars," he calls out, and a harried Keith looks up from behind the computer. "I've got my partner on that. He's going to call me back with the addresses, and we'll get the local offices involved then. But all we can do right now is wait." His eyes scan for Veronica, and he freezes when he comes up short.

He closes his eyes and exhales loudly, sure that she's already gone.

_"Agent Mars,"_ her disciplinary reports stated, _"has on multiple occasions ignored the directions of her superiors and pursued cases on her own."_

"Goddammit, Veronica," he mutters to himself. "Now's not the time."

-----------

"Mac?"

"Where _are_ you?" she asks, panicked and pissed.

Veronica checks her rearview mirror before switching lanes and pulling onto the highway. "Are you at my house?"

She can hear Mac sigh against the phone. "Yes, and you aren't."

"Look, I need you to do me a favor, okay? Go to my closet in the bedroom, and in the very back, on the top shelf, there's a white box. I need you to get it down."

They've been friends for _years_, and even though Veronica has messed up plenty of relationships, the bond she shares with Mac has endured. When Mac picks up her phone again minutes later and asks, "Now what?" without preamble, Veronica knows why Mac will always be in her life.

It's the Lilly Box, as Veronica thinks of it. She doesn't open it very often, but it's followed her from Neptune to Quantico to Omaha to New York. "There're letters and postcards in there," she says. "Can you find one with a Long Beach return address?"

-----------

_Thursday, August 1st, 2019_

_His summer house was the only place that ever provided him real comfort. Celeste didn't want to be haunted by any memories, so she preferred hotels and rental homes in different locales, and she was often successful in convincing Jake that a change was necessary. But sometimes Jake needed to feel the past. Sometimes it was the only way he could deal with the present._

_But nothing was helping now. What could? Jake Kane, not yet 60-years-old, had already outlived both of his children and his only grandchild. Remembering and reminiscing, that was going to do nothing to dull the ache that he would have to live with for the rest of his cursed life. He had so many happy memories from before his world went to hell, but now he had no prospects for ever creating more._

_If only he had fought for Duncan, if only he wasn't so damn stubborn, then maybe his son and granddaughter would still be here. But Jake had been so sure that his son was throwing his life away, so positive that Duncan pursuing custody of his daughter would be the end of his future. If only he knew…_

_It took them years to rebuild a relationship. Meetings were few and far between, but they were the only thing that gave Jake any sense of hope, any will to keep going. Reestablishing a bond with Duncan and watching little Lilly grow had gotten him through the years. Sure, he still had his money, and now Lianne, but he lived for his son._

_He was a shell of a man before Weidman put him in touch with Duncan. He became something of a recluse, too unhinged to oversee Kane Software, often too depressed to even leave his house. He spent most days in a drunken haze at his desk, a bottle of his best scotch in his hand and three days worth of stubble on his face._

_He had The Castle for awhile, became somewhat obsessed with the secrets and tragedies of others and the power that they held. He even tried to act as a father figure for some of those boys who were as lost as he was._

_Jake sighed, his head falling against his arm as he thought of that. God help him, did everything have to end in bloodshed?_

_His cell buzzed next to him, and he wearily eyed the display. Lianne. His son and granddaughter weren't even cold in the ground yet, but she still insisted on checking up on him, his pleas for privacy falling on deaf ears._

_"Yes?" he answered._

_She sighed in relief. "How…how are you doing?"_

_How did she expect him to be doing? It had only been a week since he found out Duncan had died. He _needed time_._

_"I can't do this right now. I'm sorry." And he truly was. This could have been a second chance for them, and they really were happy before he heard the news, but now everything was gone…_

_"You shouldn't go through this alone, honey."_

_He stayed on the line but he didn't offer her any words. "I…I heard from Travis again," she said awkwardly. "He said that Keith's starting at Ritchfield this fall. I got some new pictures." She sounded so desperately hopeful. "I emailed them to you. Maybe…maybe I can talk to Veronica and Keith can come and visit us for awhile. You'd like that, right?"_

_Jake closed his eyes, pained. Did she really expect him to trade one grandchild for another?_

_"I'm going to go, Lianne. I'll call you later." He disconnected before she could protest._

_Keith Echolls could never be anything to him, he thought bitterly, booting up his laptop so he could see the photos. He'd been supportive of Lianne's interest in her grandson, but he wanted left out of it. His resentment toward Veronica was one thing, but that child shared DNA and a name with Logan._

_He clicked on the attachment and Keith's picture loaded instantly. Jake stared at him, swallowing back the bile that rose in his throat. The little boy looked so much like his father, and it was hard to not think about little Logan and Duncan, barely six-years-old and happily chasing each other around the swimming pool._

_Jake had watched Logan grow up; he had liked him, approved of his relationship with Lilly even as she tried to push every one of Jake's buttons on the matter. Logan was a good kid, a faithful friend to his son and a devoted boyfriend to his daughter. After Lilly's murder, Logan stood by the family when Keith Mars accused him of the worst._

_But when Jake found out the truth…_

Keith. Echolls_. Jesus, this child seemed to represent all of the people who had helped make Jake's life a living hell._

_He studied the picture, his mind racing. Veronica and Logan were building a family just as Jake's had completely fallen apart. Keith Mars, now back in uniform and one of Neptune's most respected men, was a doting grandfather, yet Jake had long ago been pushed out of the company he had built and only three days before was forced to pick out the dress in which little Lilly would be buried._

_Jake had to really look for Veronica in Keith's features, but he saw her, saw hints of the girl who helped Duncan leave the only life he knew._

_He tore his eyes away from the computer screen and tried to force himself to look at anything but Keith's face. The little boy wasn't the problem, and Jake refused to be angry with an innocent child. But he couldn't forget the roles that Logan, Veronica, and Keith Mars had all played in the total destruction of Jake Kane's once magnificent empire._

-----------

After getting the address from Mac and programming it into her navigation system, Veronica turns off her phone again. She had already listened to her voicemails on the ride back from LA, and after that call from Wallace (and even a few frantic messages from a worried Trina), she knows that the only calls she'll be getting now are the ones from her father or Edwards, demanding to know where she's going and what she's thinking.

It's not that she feels like she doesn't need their help; she's not a hardheaded teenager going out on her own anymore (or, she can reluctantly admit now, an equally stubborn FBI agent doing the same). This is about her son, and she won't be foolish about anything when it comes to him. But at the same time she knows how the FBI agents think and work, and they'll want to handle everything while Veronica waits in the background. And Veronica doesn't do _anything_ in the background.

_She_ will be the one to see her son first, and _she_ will be the one to confront Jake Kane. She'll call her dad when she's a little closer to the house, and that way they can be right behind her, but right now, when her gut is telling her that she's only miles away from getting her son back, all she can think about is what she'll do when she sees him again. Before her focus was on getting him back safely, but now she's worried about getting him through this without psychologically scarring him for life. Hell, she and Logan had somehow gotten through four years without doing it and she'll be damned if this marks his childhood.

She's still a little more than an hour away, despite driving at breakneck speeds, and she hopes she can avoid the cops and any high-speed chase, because there's no way she's stopping now.

She sees the sign for one of her exits and her grip on the steering wheel tightens.

Veronica's cell goes straight to voicemail, so Keith dials her home phone and prays that she picks up, that she's there for some reason and not actually crazy enough to be going after her son by herself.

Mac answers after a couple of rings, and she sounds flustered as Keith interrogates her about Veronica. He urges her to tell him what she knows, promises her that it's the best thing for everyone involved if his daughter isn't out there on her own.

A few minutes later, after heavy deliberation on Mac's part, Keith has an address. He hangs up and tells Edwards where Veronica is heading, that she believes Jake has little Keith at his summer home in Long Beach. Edwards's mouth twitches in displeasure, and Keith almost wants to defend her, but he can't.

"We're not even 100% sure it's Jake Kane," the FBI agent shakes his head.

"But it's a start," Keith pleads.

"He has more money and connections than you could ever imagine. If he wanted to disappear with Keith, he could. Just…don't get your hopes up." Edwards leaves then, following the only lead they have, and Keith knows that, in spite of his caution and protests, Edwards will have everyone he can heading to that beach house, too.

With Edwards gone, the station is quiet now; all of Keith's deputies are out searching for anything they can find on Jake Kane or Clarence Weidman, and Jenkins left earlier in a righteous fit.

Keith stares down at the address he scribbled on a notepad and then he tears the sheet of paper away from the ring, clutching it in his hand. He's about to head out to his cruiser when the jail keys glint in the harsh fluorescent lighting, catching his eye, and he stops. Logan is still locked up in the back of the station, probably waiting anxiously for any new news.

_Well, it's a start,_ he thinks, grabbing the keys off of the table and then walking down the long hall to Logan's cell.

---------

"_**You killed my daughter, and you're gonna pay for it. I'll watch you frying. I'll destroy your family and everyone you ever loved…"**_

_Tuesday, August 6th, 2019_

_Miranda Kelley hadn't seen or heard from Jake Kane since Gory's funeral over ten years ago. That wasn't surprising; while she was thrilled by the bond her boyfriend shared with the software mogul, and acutely aware of all the opportunities that could mean for them, she wasn't exactly close to the man. Sure she and Gory had dined at his house on occasion, and he did express interest in her pre-med track, but Miranda knew that she was just the girlfriend and Jake's interest lay solely with Gory and whatever it was the two discussed in hushed whispers behind closed doors._

_So when Jake called her personally the day before and asked her to meet him for coffee at a tiny café just outside of San Diego, she had room for pause. But Jake Kane was still somewhat of a legend, and she breathlessly accepted the invitation._

_He stood to greet her, and Miranda staggered at his gaunt appearance. Though she never knew the Jake Kane who graced the cover of TIME, a dapper and well-kempt man in expensive suits, the Jake she saw now appeared sleep deprived and frantic. His tired eyes were offset by his hollowed cheeks and mostly gray hair, and he could barely manage a smile as he weakly shook her hand._

_"How have you been, Miranda?"_

_"Good," she answered, smoothing the wrinkles of her wool skirt. "And you?"_

_He looked off to the side and she could see the rise and fall of his Adam's apple as he swallowed. "I…I've had a rough time lately," he admitted, finally meeting her eyes. "We're trying to keep the information extremely private, but…my son, Duncan, and his daughter…they were killed two weeks ago."_

_Miranda's jaw dropped open in shock and she tentatively reached out to caress Jake's arm. "Oh my God, Mr. Kane, I'm sorry."_

_He smiled tightly and gently patted her hand. "Thank you."_

_"Is there anything I can do?" she asked, more out of politeness than anything else. What could she possibly do? Why did he even ask her here?_

_He shook his head, his thoughts wandering for a minute. "I heard you were the lab supervisor at Neptune General now," he managed eventually. "Congratulations."_

_She looked down at the linen napkin in her lap and nervously tucked a piece of her blonde hair behind her ear. "Thank you."_

_"I was sure you were on your way to medical school, though."_

_"My plans changed after Gory's death," she answered truthfully, and then thought to herself, "Gory's murder."_

_Jake nodded, his expression still sullen. "Actually, Gory is the reason I asked you here."_

_Miranda looked up in surprise, her eyes widening, and waited for him to elaborate._

_"I know that his murder was never solved, and that some believed that it might have been connected to the Fitzpatricks, but I have reason to believe someone else was involved and I thought you should know."_

_"Who?" she whispered._

_"Do you remember Logan Echolls? He and Gory had a very…antagonistic relationship in college. Gory talked about it with me several times."_

_Logan Echolls. She hadn't thought about him in years, but yes, she remembered. "You think he did it?"_

_"I think he arranged it," he admitted. It was something Jake suspected at one point, many years ago, but he was never sure. And by the time Gory was killed, Jake was on the cusp of reestablishing his relationship with Duncan and he couldn't be bothered to seek vengeance. But now, whether his instinct was right or not, he knew that he could use it to his advantage._

_"We-we should go to the police! We have to do something!" she said, her face flushed._

_"There's no proof, Miranda," he replied sadly. "There's nothing the police can do now."_

_She looked up at him then with fire in her eyes, her jaw locked in anger. "If he had anything to do with it, then he needs to pay."_

_Jake studied her for a minute before relaxing back into his seat, confident that he could now count on Miranda Kelley as part of the plan._

-----------

_Friday, August 9th, 2019_

_"Cathy, we're his only hope."_

_Jake was still well-liked in Neptune and he had history with Ritchfield. Cathy Simpson had started working for the school while Lilly and Duncan were still enrolled, and she remembered their father well. He was a kind man, a true pillar of the community._

_She had no reason to not believe anything he said to her._

_"I know I'm asking a lot, and I know there are risks for you involved, so I want to pay you. Generously. You'll be able to go wherever you want, and you'll have more money than you could imagine."_

_Ritchfield paid well, but her husband's medical bills had taken all of their savings, and Isabella's merit scholarship had just fallen through…_

_"You're really sure? They hurt him?"_

_"Logan's father had the same problem. You hope that the cycle will break but…"_

_"I don't know," she said softly, wringing her hands._

_"There's no one else to help him," Jake pressed. "Veronica is never there with him, and she won't leave Logan. We can't even go to the police because Keith Mars will cover it up."_

_Cathy thought about what Jake said earlier, about Veronica's negligence playing a role in her brother's death. For years Cathy tried to not blame anyone but Camille for what transpired, but to find out that Veronica was turning a blind eye to her child's beatings…_

_"Please?" Jake begged, and his tears and desperation were real, but not for the reasons Cathy thought. "I should have done this for Logan when he was little, but I didn't, and I can't ever forgive myself for that. But it's not too late for Keith."_

_Cathy covered his hand with her own, offering silent comfort with the gesture, and nodded in agreement._

-----------

_Monday, September 2nd, 2019  
11 a.m._

_Jake and Clarence waited in the backseat of the rented Lexus, Jake's foot tapping nervously against the floor mat. In a few minutes, Brock, one of his employees who, thanks to a newly grown beard, might be able to pass for Logan Echolls from a distance, would be entering the school to pickup Keith._

_Clarence eyed his boss wearily. "Everything's going to according to schedule," he announced. "I talked to Miss Kelley earlier and she has Keith's blood sample to run later."_

_"What if they decide to take the clothes to a crime lab instead of the hospital?" Jake asked anxiously._

_"Then we'll hear about it from Carl, and we'll still have a couple of hours before they get the test results back."_

_"But they won't be able to arrest Logan if they know the blood isn't Keith's," he fretted._

_"You'll still have Keith with you," Clarence replied stoically. "To be honest, I think that's enough to destroy them."_

_Jake shook his head as he thought of everything that could go wrong with the plan. There were so many pieces, and so many people involved, and it could all fall apart at the seams in a number of places._

_"Sir, if you have any doubts, we can call this off right now."_

_He studied Weidman, and though Clarence hardly ever showed his emotions, Jake was sure that he saw a bit of hope and relief in Weidman's eyes. "No," he answered, too much already at stake and the need for revenge far outweighing anything else._

_Weidman nodded, and that hope and relief was gone._

_Only a few minutes later they heard the crying, and then the car door opened and there was Keith Echolls, his face red and wet with tears. "You're not my daddy!" he screamed, fighting as Brock tried to hand him over to Clarence._

_"Shh, shh," Jake told him, reaching out to tousle his hair. The crying and yelling put them right on display, and Jake could only hope there wasn't anyone around and that the little boy's fit wasn't enough to change Cathy's mind. "We're friends of your parents," he said, smiling down at him. "We'll take you to them. Don't cry."_

_Keith sniffled but stared back at Jake curiously. "Where are they?" he asked loudly, still a hint of a tantrum in his tone._

_Brock had already started the engine and they were now pulling away from the school. "They had to go away for awhile, and they asked me to pick you up. We'll see them later." He reached out to slide the school jacket off of Keith's shoulders, telling him that it was too warm out for it and then handing it over to Weidman._

_They dropped CW off a few blocks away and then started the drive out of Neptune. At first Jake was eager to leave the country as soon as possible, but Clarence convinced him to stay in California for awhile, assuring him that they would have a significant head start, if they were ever even found._

_He distracted Keith further with some coloring books and crayons form his backpack, and then he leaned back in his seat, finally relaxing. This little boy could never fill the void left by his children's deaths, but it was something. And the agony, frustration and humiliation it would cause Logan, Veronica, and Keith Mars? Well, that was everything._

-----------

Logan leans against the passenger side door, his arms folded defensively across his chest and his forehead pressed against the window. He hasn't spoken a word since hearing the update from Keith, and he still can't quite believe that Jake Kane is the one behind it all, that someone could actually hate him enough to do this.

It felt like a betrayal. There was a time when Logan wanted nothing more than Jake's approval, yearned for it almost as much as Lilly and Duncan had, and he had often wished that the man was his own father. Jake loved his children more than anything, and would never even think of raising a hand or belt to them. Celeste might've been a frigid bitch with her own set of problems, but Jake was a picture perfect parent, and Logan never quite understood how Lilly didn't get just how much he loved her, or why Duncan would complain about the high expectations his father held for him.

Logan envied them.

And while he knew that things would never be the same between them after they found out Aaron had killed Lilly, he never could imagine that it would come to this. Logan has made plenty of his own mistakes, but he refuses to be held accountable for the sin's of his father.

The thoughts now racing through his mind scare him. He wants to _kill_ him. He wants to hurt Jake in the worst way imaginable, just as Jake's hurt his family. Despite everything Logan's ever done, he's never felt rage like this before. He's never been foolish enough to doubt what he might be capable of, but for the first time he feels like he might be on the verge of totally losing control over it.

Veronica had called her dad's phone minutes before, and Keith informed her that he was already on his way, Logan in tow. A part of Logan, that logical, sane part of him, is still too stunned to even really comprehend everything that's happened.

Keith keeps looking over at him, opening his mouth to say something but then thinking better of it. He's sure that he's already caused irreparable damage to their relationship, and that the solid truce they had come to over the years is now all shot to hell. He's terrified about it what it could mean for his relationship with Veronica and his grandson, but he's also wracked with guilt. Could there be anything worse than accusing a parent of harming their own child?

He winces at that thought and wonders just how big of a role his previous mistake has played in Jake's motive.

"I'm sorry, Logan," he finally says somewhere along Interstate 5. "For what it's worth now, which I'm sure isn't much, I'm sorry."

He doesn't respond and Keith sighs softly. "Maybe someday you'll understand," he adds.

"I wouldn't hold your breath," Logan returns grimly, his eyes trained straight ahead.

"I know I've made a lot of mistakes," he continues. "Especially with Veronica. And I know she'll probably hate me forever for this. But you have to know I only ever wanted to do right by her."

"And you think throwing my ass in jail was doing right by her?" he asks, finally looking over at Keith.

"I know you don't believe me, but it was right at the moment. It was right for Keith and the investigation. If I had treated you any differently, Jenkins would have made sure I was out of office; he'd try to make everything about me, and that'd take away from what mattered. And…and I wouldn't be able to do anything to help with the search." He glances over at Logan. "I know it doesn't seem like much of an excuse, but it's the truth."

Again, Logan's quiet. Keith wonders if this is something they'll ever get past, if it's something _Veronica_ will ever be able to get past. Their relationship had grown so much stronger over the years, and they were no longer playing that game where they ignored all of their problems because they were too scared of losing each other if they tried to address them. Will they go back to that? At this point, does Keith even care if they do, or will he simply take what he can get, like he had for years?

"It's going to take some time," Logan finally says. It's something.

They're closer to Long Beach now. Veronica might even be there already.

"You're a good father, Logan," Keith tells him, and he really means it.

Logan slouches back down in his seat, his arms still crossed as he continues to stare out the window. He counts down each mile marker as they pass them, and he wishes with everything he has that they're on their way to his son.

-----------

Veronica stares at the beach house, and even though she's so close she can taste it, even though this is all she's thought about for the last two hours, she feels stuck in the sand, like she's physically incapable of taking another step forward.

What if she's wrong? She's been wrong plenty of times before, but there's much more on the line now than her pride. A part of her doesn't know what to do if Keith isn't there, and that piece is much more overwhelming than the part that doesn't know what she'll do if he is.

Is it really going to be as simple as walking up to the main entrance and demanding her son from whoever opens the door? She tries to compose herself as the waves crash and the ocean mist sprays her from behind.

She takes a deep breath and one step at a time.

The lights are on inside, and right now she'll take what she can get, savor every second that she has hope. The French doors off of the living room allow her to see inside, but nobody's there. Still, she pounds on the glass, waiting, wishing.

As Weidman approaches, all of the anger that Veronica needs to function returns to her instantly. She doesn't know if she'll scream or she'll hit, but when he unlocks the door and greets her with, "It's about time you got here," Veronica can only stand there speechless.

"Where…where is he?" she manages, and she hates how weak she sounds.

"In the study, with Mr. Kane."

A part of her wants to push past Weidman and run to her son, but she has to stay cautious, if only for Keith. "He won't hurt you," CW says, sensing her hesitation. "He's not capable of hurting anyone right now."

"Really?" she asks angrily. "Because I think he's doing a hell of a job."

He doesn't reply, and Veronica slides past him to enter the house. She freezes when she feels him behind her, and she readies herself for anything just as she wonders if she walked right into a trap. But then he's next to her, walking alongside her, leading her someplace.

"Don't you ever think for yourself?" she can't help but ask, shaking her head in disgust. "Don't you ever get tired of doing exactly what he asks of you?"

"If I were you," he says after a moment, "I would be grateful that my son is so close."

"Yeah, I guess I really owe you one," she scoffs. They stop in front of a door at the end of the hallway, and Veronica inhales sharply, wonders if it's really going to be this easy. "You're not going to get away with this, you know," she says. "The cops, the Feds…they're on their way. I even have a witness who can place you in my back yard the day before Keith disappeared," she adds, thinking of Wallace's voicemail.

He looks at her for a moment, his black eyes resigned, and then he opens the door. "Mr. Kane," he announces. "It's time for Keith to go home."

Her mouth falls open when she spots her little boy sitting on Jake's desk. He's dressed in new pajamas and clutching a toy car in his hand, which he's showing to Jake. She makes some choked sound in the back of her throat, and Keith looks up as Jake stares straight ahead at her, jaw-slacked.

"Mommy!" he yells happily, grinning as he hurries off the desk and runs to her. She falls to her knees, her arms stretched out to him, and he tackles her with such force she nearly falls back. It takes everything she has to not burst into tears of joy and relief as she holds him to her.

"I missed you so much," she whimpers against his hair, gently rocking him back and forth, and Jake rises from his chair just as Weidman turns and leaves the room.

She stands, lifting Keith into her arms. He buries his face against her neck and she runs a soothing hand up and down his back, but her eyes remain locked with Jake's.

"What do you think you can do to me?" he laughs, tears glistening in his eyes. "What could you possibly do to hurt me more than I hurt now?"

Her throat constricts painfully as she wraps her arms tighter around Keith. She can hear the sirens, the loud patter of footsteps as they move into the house.

"I'm not going to do anything to you," she tells him as they filter into the room, their guns out. "I'm going home."

She turns away, her hand on the back of Keith's head, holding him against her so he can't look up to see Jake's arrest. She walks out of the room, out of the house. More cops and agents rush past her but she never looks back.

The red and blue lights flash brightly behind the beach house, and Veronica trudges through the sand, Keith's arms still wrapped tightly around her neck. Edwards is waiting for her near her car, and he exhales in relief when he spots her approaching him. "Nice work, Veronica," he tells her, reaching out to pat Keith on the back. "But if you were still with the Bureau, this would probably get you fired."

She laughs softly, her tears running freely down her face. "Then it's a good thing I'm no longer a Fed, huh?"

As Jake and Clarence are walked to squad cars in handcuffs, Keith and Logan pull up in the cruiser. Logan spots Veronica immediately and runs to her, but at the sight of Jake Kane, he slows, his eyes narrowing in anger.

But he never stops, and soon he has Veronica and their son engulfed in a hug. They all hold each other, little Keith moving from his mother's arms to his father's.

Keith Mars stays back, watching the reunion from a safe distance. But when he spots Jake, he takes off running. "You son of a bitch!" he growls as he closes in, his fist up. He knows he'll only get one punch in before he's pulled off of him, so he makes it count, and Jake stumbles back against the cop car, blood dripping from his now broken nose.

"Jesus, Keith," Edwards says, yanking him back. "What do you think Jenkins is going to say about this?"

Keith shakes his hand, his knuckles throbbing now. "I don't give a damn what he says," he answers, moving back to his car, his shoulders a little straighter. "I'm retiring."

Chaos surrounds them on the beach, but Veronica and Logan are oblivious, their focus solely on each other and the little boy sandwiched between them. Logan leans down to kiss her, his eyes meeting hers before their lips meet, and the adoration she finds there is nearly enough to take her breath away.

Sirens blare and lights flash, but they don't even notice…

-----------

Later that night, at home and in their bed, they both watch the rise and fall of Keith's chest as he sleeps.

"Do you think he's okay?" she asks, propping herself up on her elbow. Logan's resting with his hands behind his head, and he sits up, shifting against the headboard.

"Yeah," he says, grinning. "He's fine."

She returns his smile, the relief of it all settling in now. But then her face falls, and Logan watches her with concern.

"I'm sorry," she whispers, confusing him.

"What the hell do you possibly have to be sorry about?" he asks. He looks down at Keith nestled between them. "You did exactly what you said you would. You got him back."

"I'm sorry for what you had to go through," she clarifies.

"What _we_ had to go through. The only thing I'm sorry about is that you had to go through it alone."

She thinks about Mac, Wallace and Weevil, about the group of people, some she never even met, who spent hours searching on her behalf. "You know," she says thoughtfully, "I really wasn't alone."

He reaches out to her, his fingers grazing her cheek. "My dad, though," she starts to say, but he shakes his head to cut her off.

"We worked it out already," he tells her. "I just want to put it behind us now."

She licks her lips, suddenly exhausted as the culmination of the last two days hits her. "Do you really think we can do that?"

He smiles softly as slides under the covers and then rolls over on his side to face her. "Well, _we_ did it before. So why not?"

"God, we've been through almost everything, haven't we?" she asks, quietly laughing. "Do you think we'll get a break now?"

"Doubtful," he teases. "But that's okay, because whatever happens, you'll fix it."

"No pressure, right?" she smirks.

"Eh, I'll be beside you. You'll keep saving the world, and I'll be standing next to you looking good while you do it."

She closes her eyes, ready to finally fall asleep. "So that's the plan, huh?"

Logan watches her quietly as she drifts off. "Yeah," he whispers. "That's the plan."

-The End…Finally


End file.
